Annanother post about working from home
Lots of people regularly work from home, so working from home for a few weeks shouldnāt be a big deal, right?Ā
Here in Hong Kong weāve been primarily working from home since the lunar new year in late January, and before that had extended periods at home due to the protests.Ā
When you work from home for an extended period of time - and itās not your choice - it can be more challenging than you expect in ways you might not expect. There was even a day where I caught myself talking to my plants. Yes, really.Ā
Here are some things weāve learned.
Plan movement into your day, throughout the day
I know my tiny HK apartment is smaller than most Aussie homes, but when you work from home for an extended period you really notice how much incidental movement you have in the office. Walking to the kitchen to refill your water bottle, to the bathrooms or between meeting rooms, even the walk from the bus/tram/train stop to the office; these opportunities either stop or are different when you work from home. I live in fear of the āyou didnāt close any of your rings yesterday, Anna. Do better todayā alert from my Apple Watch. So judgemental.
- Do your stand up meeting standing up
- Plan to do one or more of your meetings walking. I have been known to go for a walk for 30 mins of Group Review, where Iām primarily in listening mode.
- Put a reminder into your calendar to stand up and stretch, or do a quick yoga session. Iām a fan of this 5 min session: https://youtu.be/nQFf38xeBww
Build rituals into your day
Your home is your sanctuary, but itās also about to be your workplace. For the next little while you might find it helpful to build rituals to define the beginning and end to your work day and work space. You might be fortunate enough to have an office or spare room that you can close the door on at the end of the day or, like me, you might be working at your dining table.Ā
Some things that worked for me:
- Setting up my work equipment at the start of the day, and then leaving my apartment and getting a coffee. When Iām at the cafe drinking my coffee, Iām doing my email catching up on and MS Teams, scanning the intranet and Yammer and generally getting in my work mindset. Then when I get back to my apartment itās like starting my day in the office - a faux-commute!
- At the end of the day I pack down my equipment, lie on my foam roller and undo any aches from sitting through the day and light a candle. All simple things that define the end of the work day for me.
Be purposeful in connecting
Something I really miss at home-the random chats. Bumping into people in the kitchen and having a chat, catching up while walking together to grab a coffee, or the random conversations across the desk when you just want to quickly check on something. I even miss the noise of chatter which is sometimes maddening in the office!
Some ways weāve alleviated this here:
- We have a virtual morning tea every couple of weeks with our extended team. This is super informal, some might even say ridiculous, but itās lovely to check in, see everyoneās faces and share stories of working from home. I think weāve even got to know each other a little better with a literal window into each otherās lives outside of work.
- Where possible, instead of sending an IM via teams, I call via video.
- I make sure I have time during the week to think about what and who Iām grateful for. This is something that a colleague and I started a couple of years ago and even though it seems a little āfluffyā thereās zero downside. These days I make sure I put this into our corporate reward and recognition app.
People across the world are experiencing a range of feelings about the current situation, and Iām sure we are no different. One thing that is for sure is that uncertainty can create anxiety and stress. Our bodies are not built to thrive under ongoing stressful periods. For me, the anxiety has shown up in ways I wouldnāt have expected - excuse the TMI, but I went to the dentist recently, and he told me that my jaw was really tight and it was impacting how well Iām cleaning my back teeth. Apparently heās seeing this a lot!Ā
- Weāve all had our moments here in HK, where we might get worked up about something that normally wouldnāt bother us, or weāve been a little snappy, or have withdrawn. Itās helpful to remember that weāre all doing our best and not to take things personally.
- When we canāt remove the source of the anxiety, one thing we can do is look at the things that are within our control: making sure our brains and bodies are best equipped to manage through the situation. Eating healthily (even though we might want to stress eat chocolate and drink wine) getting exercise and sleep.Ā
- Remaining connected with our communities, and being there for each other is important. One of my team members even bought me toilet paper! Accessing employee assistance programs can be helpful (itās what theyāre there for.)
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Lastly, itās ok to talk to your plants. As another colleague pointed out, itās only a worry if they start talking back!Ā