A year ago, the news about COVID-19 broke worldwide and companies all across the globe started to transition to remote work in order to slow the spread of the virus. Advanced Hires was extremely quick to put our employee’s safety first, and was one of the first companies in the area to allow team members to move to Work From Home (WFH). Now, a year later, the majority of our team is back in the office on staggered, socially distant schedules with proper CDC protocols and guidelines in place. We still do WFH about half the time, so here are some of the things we’ve learned from the past year of quarantining and how that impacts work:
- Keep your same working hours even while remote
It can be difficult to create and stick to boundaries at work when you’re working from home because time blends together. You might find yourself working earlier in the day or later in the day, going straight into the evening hours without even realizing it. This is a great way to get burned out. It’s crucial to stick to your normal working hours even when working from home. If you generally get to the office at 9 am and leave at 5 pm, do the same when you’re at home too.
This goes for taking breaks and going on lunch too. Don’t skip lunch or forgo the usual breaks you would take if you were in the office. Obviously you don’t want to spend all your time at home not doing work things, but it’s important to give yourself the same amount of breaks you would in person. This prevents you from getting too tired or unhappy doing your job. Besides, it’s recommended you take a break from the screens every 20 minutes to give your eyes a rest.
- Make sure the lines of communication stay open
Staying in constant contact with your team can be hard when everything, including meetings and team building events, are virtual. But it’s important to at least try to keep the lines of communication open so that information can continue to be disseminated in an effective way. One of the ways you can do that is to use an instant messaging system like Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, or another program of that kind. Chats/IMs can be a fast and communicative way to contact team members for things that require quicker, less detailed responses (i.e., not something you’d send in an email, the kind of thing you’d normally just drop by a desk to ask).
In terms of your direct reports or supervisor, it’s helpful to set up a weekly meeting with checkpoints so that everyone is aware of what is going on. If you’re struggling or need assistance with a certain task, these meetings can be a simple way to keep the channel of information open and accessible. Just because meetings have been mostly virtual doesn’t mean that they cannot be effective.
- Work on your future
There can absolutely be a temptation for some employees who are remote working to spend a little more time than normal on side-projects, chores, TV, and personal things during work hours. While we need to be gentle with ourselves and recognize that we might not be operating at 100% capability during a time such as this one (especially those who are taking care of loved ones or have other external factors to deal with at home), why not use that time to work on your career instead? Even during a pandemic there are opportunities to expand your horizon and make yourself an asset to your company and your future.
Taking online classes, attending virtual webinars and talks, or even teaching yourself a new skill (a software, editing, or graphic program) can be incredibly helpful to not only your company, but yourself as well. Being able to put something like that on your resume during this time is very beneficial. Talk to your supervisor and see if the company is offering any opportunities for virtual learning or would be willing to reimburse a paid class you could take during some work hours. Even if there isn’t a budget for that, there’s plenty of free resources you can find online that will only help you learn and grow your career.
- Take care of yourself
It’s absolutely crucial to pay attention to your mental and physical health at all times, but especially during times of upheaval and crisis. Having a good work-life balance is key to living a happy life, as is being aware of yourself and understanding when issues like burnout might be approaching. In order to help with this, make sure you are eating healthy, drinking lots of water, and doing something that helps stimulate or calm your mind. Additionally, if you’re able to work some movement into your daily routine, (walks, stretching, yoga, cardio, strength training, etc.) that is recommended for all aspects of your health.
Self-care doesn’t always have to be long baths and fancy candles. Most importantly, self-care is making sure that you are giving yourself space to breathe, work on yourself, and treat yourself kindly. There are many ways you can practice this kind of self-care at (and after) work. Make sure that you are putting yourself and your boundaries first and you’ll see that your work actually improves because your health is better.
What else? What have YOU learned during working through the pandemic this past year?