Wellness, while working apart
Editor’s Note: In the coming weeks, follow our new series, Working Remotely. In case you missed it, check out
As the series unfolds, if you have any questions or feedback to share, email us directly at digital.training@ontario.ca.
“You are not working from home; you are at your home during a crisis trying to work.”
Our Chief Digital and Data Officer, Hillary Hartley, recently shared this quote which was posted originally on Twitter.
In fewer than 140 characters, it captures how many of us are feeling as we settle into distributed work, over an extended period of time — amid a global pandemic.
We are operating in extraordinary times.
At home ‘offices’, we face new challenges, and a range of realities, depending on the specific circumstances of our household existence (some are home with parents, others with children, some live solo or with loved ones who are working on the front lines, and everyone feels the weight of balancing professional commitments in our personal space).
Adjusting to the new normal can take a toll on our bodies, our minds and our spirits. So, all together now, join me in…
- Sitting up straight in a chair
- Rolling your shoulders back
- Taking 2 deep breaths…In through your nose…Out through your mouth.
And pausing for… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Thank you.
A lot has been shared online about the importance of breath, and its connection to cognitive function and wellbeing. As we experience ‘the home as a workplace’, we asked our Ontario Digital community to share their tips and tricks for creating boundaries, routines and togetherness while we work apart.
In particular, we put this question to teams:
What are ways you’ve been practicing wellness and self-care while working from home?
Below are the themes we heard, including tools and ideas you can put into practice if you can.
And to all the people who are needed in your regular, physical workplaces right now, know that we are in awe of your courage and commitment. We applaud you and extend our gratitude. We’ll keep sharing how team members are prioritizing wellbeing, and hope that you will too, in the comment section below.
Schedule breaks
Now that you’re in a loop of working from home, there won’t be anyone to tap on your shoulder and invite you to get a coffee or to have lunch with you, the onus is on you.
When working from home, you are responsible for making breaks happen. It’s about managing your energy as much as it is managing your time. Equally important is getting up to move around.
According to Chris Irwin, Manager at the Lean Team:
“My wife and I started to rotate locations every day. One in the office, one at the kitchen table. It’s really working out better than I’d of expected. (It was my wife’s idea, who is beautiful AND a genius). This simple act forces us to have to pack up our stuff for the day so we can leave each other a clean space. I’m liking the change of location and that it creates mindfulness about a clear and deliberate end to the day.”
Make time for movement
DIY standing desks
Sitting all day is hard on the body, isolation or no isolation. One of our Directors, Katy Lalonde, commented on how much she missed her standing desk at the office, and Twitter came to the rescue with ideas.
You’ll find more hacks on building your own standing desk in this thread. Huffington Post also has a list of ideas for making your day to day more comfortable.
Physical group challenges/games
A member of our Lean Chapter, Hedia notes:
“We don’t have to physically be with each other to walk together.”
Sometimes starting up a physical challenge is tough without the support of a team — especially when the team is working remotely. For Hedia, she’s pulled together a team that walks independently during lunch, and regroups each week to keep one another accountable.
Team push-up challenge have also been popular within our community. At the end of the week, interested employees come together and share how many push-ups they tackled during the work week, and what their goals are for the weeks ahead.
The key is to commit a certain amount of activity a day — whatever it is you enjoy — stick with it.
Virtual dance parties
Feeling low on energy in the afternoon? Throw yourself a dance party — solo or with your housemates, or throw up a video call and see who joins you.
According to Cat Wood on our Experience Design Chapter:
“I regularly schedule 3:00pm mini dance parties, and I recommend it to anyone working from home. It serves as an excellent daily reminder to get up, turn up the tunes, and move for a few min.”
Go for a walk — pets included
Remember to schedule breaks and if you have a pet, take your tele-conference outside once in a while or go for a virtual pet walk with your colleague. Remember to keep the ‘hockey-stick’ (2-metre) distance rule as you venture out.
Mental Health
Use your Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Many organizations have EAPs available to employees. Check with your HR department, or management, to see if this is an option through your employer. Employer-based support programs can be under-utilized, but offer a variety of resources that target diverse human needs. For example, you can often access articles that are written by experts, connect directly by phone or online to speak to someone about counselling, anxiety, career advice, and estate planning.
If you are a member of the Ontario Public Service, you can access the provincial government’s EAP support online, via the organization’s intranet here.
Meditation and Yoga
For many, meditation or yoga is part of their regular routine. We are fortunate to have an in-house yogi, Lyndsey Fonger (read about her wellness leadership here) who leads doing drop-in virtual sessions each week.
Create virtual spaces
Employees need to feel connected and supported, especially in times of uncertainty. One way to foster connection while working remotely is to carve out spaces for informal conversations to occur throughout your team.
As Code for Canada Fellow Roan Reimer notes, “Having time to just talk that isn’t strictly about work has been really really important.”
Virtual coffee chats
Set up virtual coffee chats with your peers, as you would in person. Mention the importance of setting up virtual coffees in team check-ins, and if you’re in a position of leadership, start scheduling them.
Virtual office hours
By hosting virtual office hours, you offer employees a direct channel to leadership and can learn what’s on their mind. Members of our senior leadership team host regular open office hours that staff can book 15min of their time to talk about whatever topic is on their mind. This helps to flatten the hierarchy, and create important feedback loops up, down and across the organization.
Virtual water coolers
Create virtual spaces to engage employees around topics of interest. We’ve set up virtual over-the-lunch-hour discussion groups to discuss topics around leadership to change management.
