Working remotely during COVID-19
As we enter the third week of lockdown, I have become accustomed to working in my kitchen, lounge and sometimes on my bed. With all 3 of us at home and a new kitchen having just been completed as we entered lockdown, the last few weeks have had some challenges along the way as well as some positives too.
This blog is from my own perspective of how I have experienced things and learned to adapt. Everyone’s situation is different and everyone looks at things differently. Here’s mine.
About a week before lockdown was announced, my husband’s employer required all their staff to work from home with immediate effect. This came at a time when we were getting a new kitchen being built so things were to say the least a bit chaotic at home: eating in the lounge and breathing in dust from all the kitchen building work. It also meant that I had to work from my 9 year old’s bedroom so my other half could work in our lovely home office. Working from a small children’s Ikea desk had its challenge.. Roll onto start of lockdown and we were homeschooling or should I say I was. Trying to work on a report whilst being asked questions throughout the day by my son was challenging and so was having to work on my bed with my laptop perched on my knees especially whilst making Zoom calls as it was too noisy to work in the lounge.
So what did I learn?
In the first week I learned to focus on one small task at a time and for short periods. This allowed me to concentrate on that particular task and at other times help my son a bit with his school work. I also learned a lot about what he was learning, how much effort his teachers went to make learning fun and positive at an uncertain time and was able to help him to make use of Microsoft Teams and Google class that his teacher set him up with. I learned to relax by drawing and painting with him and to get outside more at lunchtime which I don’t normally do that often besides going to the kitchen for a drink or snack.
I’ve also prioritised exercise each day including Joe Wicks PE workouts which I was more enthusiastic about than my son and started running every day too. Building structure into my day was important too and learning to be more kind to myself if I didn’t get everything done.
It has also given me time to slow down, pause and reflect on things and think about what the future world of work will look like.
I hope that in this uncertain time, with so many people working remotely that it will strengthen ties, bring teams closer together and more managers and leaders appreciate and empathise with their team and individuals circumstances at home and be more sensitive to that and seeing the benefits that flexible working brings. However let’s not forget about the adverse effect the pandemic has had on people in manual and low paid jobs who are our every day heroes and heroines. Greater recognition of their role to keep people safe, fed and healthy and the economy moving is very much needed not just now but after all this is over.
