PCG Blog

A beach. A laptop. Lovely sunset.

That is the kind of ‘remote working’ most of us would have loved.

But the COVID-19 pandemic has created more commonplace imagery for ‘remote working’. For many people, this is no longer a choice but an imperative given the pandemic lockdown and issues with commuting.

This new definition of ‘remote working’ or more accurately, ‘working from home’ creates many challenges for employees and the companies — especially in terms of productivity, maintaining the company work culture and of course, professional growth.

But this is a trend that is here to stay, and we need to adapt. A crucial factor in adapting is to ensure a balance between professional and personal responsibilities.

The Work Routine: It is always a better approach to follow your regular work routine to kick start a day. In the pre-COVID19 days, the day generally started with ‘getting ready for work’. Now that we are saving on the commute time, we are also losing the inclination to ‘get ready for work’.

• Begin your day as you did earlier. Get ready for your day. When you log in, start with a casual chat with your colleagues. You didn’t jump into your inbox the moment you started work. There was the ‘put down your bag’ and ‘get a cup of tea’ and the ‘discuss the weekend or the match last night or Netflix show’ chatter. As mundane as these activities seemed, these are important to establish a connect with your teammates.
• Create an outline for your day, and include those ‘scheduled breaks’ for lunch, tea or just walking around, as well as ‘home tasks’. It is inevitable that you need to take a break to make a meal, or address some other issue.
• Use tools if needed to create a checklist. Asana is a great tool to keep track of tasks for yourself and your team, and kanban boards make it a little fun and interactive.

Remember working at home means you become responsible for your surroundings. There are bound to be interruptions. Work them into your daily plan.

The Workspace

• We have a new love-hate relationship with the dining table. Or the bed. Or the couch. Create a designated workspace for yourself. A separate room would be great, but if you face space constraints, a specific table would be good. If you intend to work from home longer, invest in a worktable and chair (in the interest of your health as well).

Stay Connected

• Much of our inspiration comes from the things we experience. Work from home can isolate you from the happenings and progress at your workplace and otherwise. Engage with your teammates beyond work. A call, a non-work conversation on the company group.
  If you are a manager, schedule non-work calls at frequent intervals.
• It is easier to engage with your colleagues you’ve worked with. But what about the new people? Make an effort to call them and get to know them. They are a part of your company now and a critical part of the culture. Welcome them in.
• Visit the office, if possible.
  If you live in the same city as your office or other teammates, plan a couple of visits to the office or meetups.

Time Management

• This is the biggest challenge for most people working from home. The lines are blurred, productivity falls and stress increases. Much of this can be solved by practising some things mentioned above.
• Account for potential interruptions when you are planning for your day. Build-in an extra work hour into your workday to make up for the interruptions and ensure you disconnect at the end of it.

We do better work when we do not neglect our life needs and prioritize them simultaneously with our workload and personal space.