Working From Home (WFH) used to be a bit of a myth and I think employers thought that their employees put their feet up and chilled.
How wrong could they be? (although I am sure that there are a few who get to put their feet up).
WFH is now the norm through these uncertain Covid 19 times and from what I have seen employees put extra expectations on themselves to perform and hold themselves accountable for their results and in many cases work longer hours, without lunch breaks and with less distraction.
Of course there are the benefits that it brings, we get to spend more time in our home, with our families, saving time and money on our commutes but on the other hand people are getting bored, lonely, struggle with child care and lacking inspiration from a team.
For a lot of companies I think it is important more now than ever to keep an eye on their employees mental health - especially those that are living alone or with other pressures like young children or elderly parents.
Take a look at the wellness action plan created by the Mental Health Charity MIND:
Trying to manage an important team zoom call whilst your home schooling your small child/children who want to take part is no easy feat, that is of course your Wifi is actually working and not dipping at that crucial moment or the Amazon delivery man turning up with yet another delivery of something you don't even need! You often get to see peoples pets and small children in the most important of meetings!! It has been known that quite a few people ensure they are dressed appropriately on the top part of their body for zoom/team calls but are sporting pyjamas on the bottom half!
Trying to incorporate exercise into our daily routine has also been hard which of course is so important for our bodies and mental health. We all tried to follow Joe Wicks and a lot of us failed miserably.... afterall it was really hard!... We have also tried exercising with our uncooperative children who would rather be attached to some sort of gadget. We have been walking, bike riding and even learning to run 5k something we may never have done!
I would love to know how you are finding the changes... please drop me a line.
Making a space in your house to use as an office is really important. Now that we are all working from home, we need a quiet space to focus on our work. My business has seen a rise in the need for an out-building/garage area ready to convert into an office, bar or man cave. Rightmove backs these up by noticing a huge rise in these search terms on their portal..
If you are thinking off selling and you have some space outside, have a think about whether you could convert it into a makeshift office or bar, or even both as it could entice more buyers and it will increase the value of your home.
Please send over any examples of a space which you have created for yourself, I would love to see them.
Take Care & Stay Healthy
Joshua Smith
This is so true. I have a lovely log cabin to work at home in peace, but unfortunately it's not really an option while the kids are home-schooling and need regular help. Hopefully schools will be able to open after half term - fingers crossed!