Let’s make ‘Covid19 WFH’ work for you!
With the Covid19 pandemic, employers are asking their employees to work from home. While many of us enjoy taking a break from work once in a while and work relaxingly from home, having to unwillingly work from home for weeks can lead to anxiety and frustration. We (www.getStressGuru.in) spoke to many young professionals on the challenges and conflicts they are facing working from home with their spouses and families. We provide recommendations and tips from our in-house counsellor, Swati Saxena, on how to cope with such anxieties.
The top concern for professionals is the lack of personal space while working at home. Nikita, a young professional in her 30s in Bangalore, says,”Cozying up at home is nice for sure but in a small space it sometimes just gets to you.” She is sharing her space with her husband, and both have long hours of meeting for most of the day. Ritika, 36 working in Gurgaon and living with her husband, says , “In the office, you have your own workstation and space. But, when you both are working from home, then you just start encroaching in the small space. You get no personal space. Now we have calls around the same time, and one of us has to take it from the bedroom which doesn’t look professional. Both of us need our own working space but it is not possible in a small home with both of us working from home.” In such scenarios, speak with your spouse or family and define your workspace and working hours. You can either divide your apartment into zones for your working hours, or possibly alternatively or every 2–3 days decide who uses the monitor or working table, while the other person can use the laptop in the living room or bedroom. You can also adjust your working hours, either starting earlier than usual, or working a bit later in the evening so that you can cater to your household needs as well. Also, be forgiving of yourself if your coworkers see you or your family in your bedroom or couch through your video conferencing.
Be forgiving of yourself if your coworkers see you or your family in your bedroom or couch through your video conferencing.
Even if you have a good division of space, it gets hard to work from home with constant distractions. Prachi, a single working mom in New Delhi feels that while working at home her two worlds overlap. The act of going to office helps her change her mindset, which makes it easier to stop thinking of domestic issues and start focusing on work. Prachi says, “The other day, I was in the middle of an important meeting, and my maid rang the bell. It was so embarrassing to leave my meeting to open the door. Others, such as Aakash, 28 working in Bangalore, miss the convenience of work. He says, “Most offices have facilities like office mess, tea & coffee machines, which have become an integral part of office day for many of us. Now, I need to take care of lunch and dinner while meeting my deadlines.” The best way to not get distracted is to plan your meals. Plan ahead the day before if you will cook or do Swiggy delivery the next day”
Working couples who also live with their in-laws find it many in-laws to expect their daughter-in-law to take care of the household tasks during working hours. Remember, that it is important to communicate your need to your family and spouse and ask for their support. Sometimes people need to be reminded of how they can help you. Try making a list of household tasks, and dividing them between the two of you. Discuss uncertainties that may arise during working hours, and create a plan to tackle them. The next day when you face a problem, then you will get less irritable and have a plan. In addition, try to share your problems and feelings about this entire work from home situation with your spouse and family. Encourage your partner to share their difficulty too. This will help you to decrease your irritability, anger and frustration. You may realise that both of you are facing similar difficulties, which means you can find similar solutions to it.
For working parents, working from home in scenarios like the Covid19 pandemic can be even more challenging. Since their kids don’t have school or day care either, parents find it tough to work and take care of their kids at the same time. Again having a plan on the division of work between your spouse and you will help. Avoid having meetings from 1 pm — 2 pm. This will give you a chance to prepare your meals, check-in on happenings around the house, and feed your children. If you need to, then schedule more breaks in your working hours and stick to it. Or perhaps, look into hiring a babysitter for the morning hours or giving extra wages to your maids asking them to help out (only when it is ok to do so in your region for Covid19 cases).
Avoid having meetings from 1 pm — 2 pm. This will give you a chance to prepare your meals, check-in on happenings around the house, and feed your children.
Lastly, most of the men and women miss the getting ready for work part of the routine. The act of getting ready prepares them for the day. With work from home people feel out of control and end up being unproductive the entire day. Follow a structure to have more control over your day. Even while working from home, wake up on time, get ready as if you were going to the office, and sit on a table as if you were sitting at your office desk. Some professionals miss their desk setup of having a monitor, keyboard and mouse, while at home they are confined to their laptops. If that’s you, we recommend buying a monitor and keyboard set up for your home. In the future, you can use this for those lazy days when you decide not to go into work!
In the midst of all these conflicts, remember that staying home in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic is the best option for your family’s health and your community. Try to focus on what you can control. Continue to practice social distancing, wash your hands and avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes. Remember to take care of yourself. Create new routines to remain healthy, physically and mentally during this time. You will have more mental and physical energy when you spend time on activities that recharge you. Go on walks or exercise a bit at home. Being active, helps with having a positive mind. Sleep on time to give your body rest. Spend time with your children. ‘Giving’ produces positive feelings in your mind and body. Volunteer to help in your community by bringing groceries or medicines to senior citizens who cannot go outside for risk of infection.
Remember to take care of yourself. You will have more mental and physical energy when you spend time on activities that recharge you.
Remember, StressGuru is here to help you. If you are anxious and want to talk to a counsellor on how best to approach your problems, you can book an appointment with us.
