Over the last few weeks, most of us have seen major changes to our daily lives which have affected our operations, lifestyles, and routines. Whether you are required to work from home due legislation, company policy, resource availability, children being out of school, or various other reasons, many of us will be navigating the remote work lifestyle for the foreseeable future.
Different people thrive in different environments – this may be a unique opportunity to focus on and develop your individual work skills, or alternatively, may pose a challenge to those who thrive in a fast-paced team environment. No matter the case, the goal of remote work is to maintain business continuity, employee wellness and workforce cohesiveness as much as is manageable. Below are a few suggestions to help us all keep the ball rolling to the best of our abilities:
- Maintain a separation of your workspace and leisure space if possible.
- Maintain hours that work with your personal schedule, which may look very different now than a few short weeks ago and may vary from day to day.
- Ensure you are taking breaks – natural breaks in the day that occur at a workplace do not occur at home.
- Maintain good communication with your team.
- If you are not the only person remote working in your household, hold each other accountable.
- Avoid working in your pyjamas. While that may seem novel for the first few days, there is something about getting dressed and ready for the day that puts you in the mindset for work.
Refer to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s Telework/Telecommuting publication for more details and further information that you may find useful:
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/telework.html
As we navigate this continuously changing, unprecedented and temporary work and life landscape, what have you found work best for you, your household and your colleagues?
*Photo Credit or staff member Alex Entz and her new puppy Murphie, working from home