Working from Home Dilemmas
Work-Life Balance from a Different Vantage Point
In speaking with many of you over the past couple of weeks, I realize that many adaptations are needed in this time of crisis. You are rising to the occasion, but issues we’ve never discussed previously are popping up and I want to take a look at the unique issues of working from home together today so we can make this a great start to a meaningful and productive week ahead while honoring your family and work team.
You can download our COVID-19 Resource Guide. We included information about working from home and 7 Successful Tips for Telecommuting. This resource details specific functionality and communication best practices.
I am writing this knowing most of you have already moved your team to work remotely from home, forwarded the phones, set up the computers, and worked through reassigning tasks, as necessary. On top of that, you have reached out to all your clients and contacted the majority of them personally. Nice work!
None of us know how long this situation will last, but we all want to get through it with good mental and physical health. We want our practices and families to be well and to flourish. I realize this is a tall order, but I am seeing many of you do this well. I encourage you to share what is working for you.
If we’d given everyone the choice to work from home, I believe many of you would have elected it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a choice and we didn’t have much time to make the transition. Now that we’re here (and if you aren’t yet, we can help you with your alternative plan to stay safe), let’s assume we are here for the duration and need to focus on forward momentum in both our work and home relationships.
Work-life balance is always a challenge, particularly for the high achievers. Knowing when to turn it off and give some quality time to family and friends can be just as hard as creating a distraction-free work zone. When your home doubles as your office, switching between the two can be troublesome.
Here are critical ideas we have struggled through with folks recently:
1. NEED TO CARE FOR A CHILD/CHILDREN
This is really important. Some of you are still struggling with what to do about the children. That is a critical first consideration. Speak with your family and your direct supervisor as soon as possible to work out a viable arrangement. Perhaps the Families First Coronavirus Response Act - Family Leave Program pertains to you.
2. NEW WORK - FAMILY CULTURE
Even when you don’t have small children, or if there is someone to care for them as you are working, there is a whole shift in the work-family culture. Creating a plan with the people you live with that is cohesive with the plan you are creating with your work teammates can bring clarity and confidence to the new situation.
Setting expectations around your work hours, changing clothes for work (which feels more like a Mr. Rogers exercise these days), and having an agreement with other family members can make all the difference. If they seem to be going outside of the boundaries that were agreed to, find out why. Listening to them in a way that communicates your concern for their well-being and providing as much explanation as appropriate or necessary to help them understand the why behind boundaries can help reduce the tension and awkwardness of this new situation.
3. DISCIPLINING THE DOG (CAT OR OTHER FAMILY PET)
This is a new one for me. It has come up several times, and we recently got a new puppy. We are having to train our 7-month-old Mini Aussiedoodle puppy, Rosie, to manage with us at home more. When I consider people coming to an office with a seeing-eye dog, I think about how intensely that dog is trained. It is a wonderful thing that we can train a dog to work with us for our own benefit.
Here are a few ideas for training or retraining a dog that works with you:
Routine or Spontaneity – You can train most dogs to go along with a routine regarding when to walk them, when it’s playtime and when it’s time to lie down. If your routine changes, you will need to retrain the dog.
Exercise together – A tired dog is an obedient dog. Some dogs have an enormous amount of energy. It is less likely that they will sit beside you quietly while you work if they are wanting to play. If you can get up and go for a walk and have some playtime before you start work, it may help get them to be more settled.
Distract them with things to do – They are less likely to get into mischief if they have something to do. Maybe a new chew toy that would be more interesting than your shoe.
Time alone. If they are accustomed to you being gone during the workday, you can leave them alone in a separate room for periods of time. It is not necessary to keep them out of your workspace for 8 hours, but for a few hours at a time when you need to concentrate or have Skype sessions with clients.
Love them. Pet them, play, feed them treats and be adventurous with them. It is a real gift for many of us to have more time together.
4. CREATING YOUR IDEAL WORKSPACE
Some of you have beautifully built-out home offices; other people have set up a card table in the bedroom or set up a shelf in the closet. The range of workspace setups is dramatically diverse. This becomes part of the culture of work-life balance when working from home. When you are in this space, you are AT WORK.
Functional, comfortable and private are the main issues I focus on for home workspace.
Here are a few items that I think are key:
A comfortable chair. If you’re sitting in a chair that you usually sit in for one hour a day for 8 hours a day, it might impact how you feel. Some folks have brought their office chairs home or upgraded their home office chair. It should also be the right height or adjustable to the right height so that you don’t compromise your posture.
A desk that will hold what you need and that you can sit at with a reasonable amount of comfort. If you’re working at a card table on your laptop, just be sure your chair is set to the right height. Stand up every so often even if you don’t have a stand-up desk. If you need to buy a desk, how about one that functions either way. There are some pretty fancy ones out there and there are pretty reasonable ones. Here’s one sample.
Proper light for your eyes. This can mean shades in some rooms and lamps in others. Lighting can also change how you look on camera.
Computer and internet that is properly set up so you can access everything needed.
Privacy so that confidential data and conversations are not shared with other members of the household.
That is really all you need. So, whether it’s your bedroom, a closet, or a designated home office, it can work!
5. KNOW YOURSELF
This is more about your personality than your setup, but the struggle is real for many people. Some are easily distracted while others feel more at ease in their own space and things flow for them. You should assess how the move to working from home impacts you functionally, emotionally, and practically.
Our world has been turned inside out. We are all concerned about the future. Even though we can all say we are lucky to have our health, our job, or our family (and some of us cannot even say those things) we can’t help but feel out of sorts. It is harder for some to deal with than others. We want to be sensitive to that and help work through how some of those feelings relate to your ability to work productively from home.
Can you identify with any of these issues?
I feel like I’m invisible
I am having difficulty staying focused
Now, I’m at work 24/7
My team is disconnected
My conversations with others are not very productive
If you are struggling with any of these, we can set up coaching to help work through it healthily and constructively.
This is a paradigm shift. If you ever thought, “I spend too much time at the office” and you find yourself now saying, “This is too much time at home”, I get it. We are intentionally living in a less mobile and less social situation. It is for a good reason, but that doesn’t mean we like it. I appreciate you getting real with the struggle and allowing us to equip you as much as possible.
Don’t go it alone. You don’t have to do that. These are weird times, and I really don’t mind weird questions. In fact, I welcome them. Take care of yourselves and let’s see if we can come out on the other side of this better off than where we began.
If you want us to connect you with someone to address work-life balance issues or HR issues in general, contact Cate DeLaRosa.
About the Author
Bernie DeLaRosa, CFP®, ChFC®, CRPC®, CLU®, APMA®, CASL®, BFA™
Managing Business Consultant
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