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Remote working had a big moment when the coronavirus pandemic hit us in 2020. It suddenly forced many of us to work from home, some in less than ideal circumstances.
Now we’re at the stage where some employees are starting to return to their offices and some are wanting to continue working remotely. Some are even doing a hybrid of both.
As we’re finally at that point where you can return to the office whether your job can be done from home or not, some are glad to be back in the office after such a long time at home. But why is working from home, not for everyone?
Some employees enjoy the separation of work and home. They like dealing with work-related stuff whilst being in the office and then enjoy being able to go home and switch off from it all. Whereas when they are working from home, they may not be able to switch off in the same way.
Sticking to your usual morning routine, as you would when going into the office, will give structure therefore may help you feel more motivated.
This can be seen as a benefit for many people; however, some employees may actually enjoy the commute to work. If they can walk or cycle to the office, it may be their only time to get some exercise in. If they get public transport, that may be their time to read a book or listen to a podcast. For those who drive, it may be their only time to listen to music.
Wake up at the time you normally would do for the office or make sure you’re making the most of your lunch breaks so you can still go for a walk, read a book or listen to a podcast.
Employees working from home can feel disconnected from their colleagues, especially if they like having the company of others. Although having regular informal catchups can be done, some may argue that they aren’t the same as face-to-face conversations as people tend to be too polite over the likes of Zoom and Teams.
However, communication is key, so keep on socialising with your colleagues the way you would in the office. You can do this by booking in time with your team to have regular catch-ups.
Another reason for employees not liking working from home is they feel like they lose the soft skills that you gain from being around people in the office. Especially for those who have started a job solely working from home.
Some examples of soft skills you may lose by working from home are; communication skills as it’s more difficult to contact someone from home than to talk to them when you’re in the office, teamwork as you’ll be working alone and some feel having a meeting remotely isn’t as effective as in-person and interpersonal skills which include building and maintaining relationships.
You could where possible arrange physical meet ups, weekly or monthly, or find a business hub for meetings so teams have a chance to be together face to face for certain work actions.
Some simply don’t feel as productive when working from home compared to working in the office. This could be due to the burnout of them not being able to distinguish the difference between work and home life. Unfortunately, this could lead to a negative impact on mental health too.
It could also be due to distractions at home, because even though working from home removes the distractions from the office, you may not have a suitable working space in your home meaning other members of the household may be distracting you.
Having a dedicated office space can help with this but, it isn’t possible for everyone. As an alternative, try to set some boundaries with who you live with to help separate them from your workspace. Also, avoid the tasks you wouldn’t do in the office, like housework.
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