Working From Home During The Pandemic

By Ettie Rutherford
Contributing Columnist

By Ettie Rutherford
Contributing Columnist

It is not exactly a surprise that, because of the pandemic, 60 percent of employees now work from home. While everyone understands the reason for this change, and that some workers enjoy the new situation, the fact still remains that there are some employees, who do complain that being at home “twenty-four seven” is a very stressful situation.

For them, there is a struggle to balance the new work-from-home situation, especially since, in some circumstances, there are not only children at home, but also too many calls from their office.

It might be helpful to alleviate some of the stress by trying some of these suggestions:
Create a Dedicated Space
This will make it easier to isolate from family and pets, and to draw boundaries between professional and personal tasks, in order to minimize chances of burn-out.

Get the Right Equipment
Workers need to insist that their employers invest in up-to-date technology to make work easier.
Create A Schedule
Although some people initially thought that working from home might be fun, the reality is, that some workers are glued to work-stations, forgetting to take regular breaks, which would have automatically been taken in the workplace. Another benefit is that designing a schedule will also ensure that there is time to eat proper meals.
Stay Connected
Keeping a line of communication open is very important because, one of the biggest sources of isolation during today’s digital environment is the feeling of isolation when separated from peers. So, it might be helpful to create virtual happy hours and arrange specific visiting times to connect through videos.
Be Compassionate with Yourself
Since stress is a serious problem in any work situation, and even more so during the pandemic, it is important to take breaks, and to ensure that the workload is not too much, bearing in mind that asking for assistance is an important part of reducing stress.

Not only will these suggestions go a far way in making life easier, but there will also be a better chance of actually enjoying the new home/work situation for everyone in the family, if these simple directions are in place.

In Sisterhood!
Ettie