CANADIAN NEWCOMER 16
Starting a new job during Covid? Here’s what that looks like
Starting a New Job During COVID — What I Learned
As a newcomer, you will have faced many obstacles on the path to Canada.
This year (2020) is when pandemic became an everyday word, and COVID-19 became another obstacle as you try to settle into your new Canadian life.
Several of my previous articles have covered searching for work in-person (pre-COVID) as well as remotely.
Toronto started having kids sent home from school or not return after their Spring Break from March 12 2020. As the city started to shutdown, I started my first Canadian job on April 1st, working from my kitchen table. As of this writing (mid-Sept 2020), I am still working from home more than 5 months later.
I think this will be a common situation for many newcomers getting their first professional jobs here in 2020’s pandemic year (and likely into 2021 too). I would like to share some impressions or lessons from my experience of on-boarding to my new job during COVID, which may help you imagine what you can expect.
Great Expectations
I had very great timing with when I got my job offer. COVID was spreading around the world, but it still felt distant from Toronto. What I expected to find on April 1st was a welcoming group of co-workers in a busy office.
However, much like the rest of the corporate world, that’s not exactly what happened after all- I ended up working in my kitchen!
I started Day 1 at my kitchen table. I’m still there today, over 5 months later.
Because my employer was transitioning all the employees from the office to their homes, it was difficult for everyone to get equipment in time for everyone.
(What that meant in my case was using some textbooks as a stand for my personal MacBook, borrowing my wife’s Japanese keyboard, and connecting to a Windows Remote Desktop via VPN. Typing on a Japanese Mac to a remote Canadian Windows environment was definitely tricky!)
After a couple of weeks, my company laptop (Windows) & phone fortunately arrived, and I bought a small laptop stand, Canadian (Windows) keyboard & mouse set to create a more comfortable work station.
I still need to get a nice chair though…
(I also finally opened those textbooks so I could study for the PMP exam — I passed! Tips for passing the 2020 version of the PMP exam are here, if you are interested)
2020 so far has been a year of unexpected happenings and events. If you have found yourself starting a new job this year, perhaps the following advice will be of help.
A Soft Landing
In 2 words, I would describe on-boarding from home as a “Soft landing”. What do I mean?
As mentioned, my company had just transitioned to Work-from-home (WFH) right before I joined, so everybody was in the same situation as me; trying to figure out how to turn the kitchen table or spare room into a working space… trying to fit work and family life into the same space/time…trying to learn how Teams works!
It meant I was in the same situation as everyone else, and didn’t stand out too much for being The New Guy.
Since I started work in this situation, I also felt like things simplified (for everyone). Being at home for me has allowed more focus on the task(s) I have to do. I know that it might not be possible for everyone, but not having the distraction of coworkers stopping by to chat, or interruptions on the phone throughout the day, has been helpful for bursts of productivity.
I also have enjoyed taking a short rest in-between meetings or work to play with my dog, or take a quick walk around the block. That wouldn’t be possible from the office!
Nuts & Bolts
From a practical point of view, my laptop and phone were shipped to me from the company, the admin processing was all handled over email/phone, and my manager has always been available to answer questions as-needed. I have access to necessary systems and data, and projects that I can work on remotely. All things considered, this is a good situation to be in.
Thinking back on the other times when I have started a new job, the typical first-day jitters or worries were definitely different this time. I was (and still do) face a relationship gap with my new coworkers, due to not being able to meet in-person. Of course it is easier to build relationships with people you see in-person on a daily basis. But in this situation we all use the available tools to do that remotely.
The pros (+) and cons (-)
I would summarise the good and bad sides of WFH as below:
- Pro: Work from home (No commute = more home/family time!)
- Con: Less-than-ideal desk set-up (my back!)
- Pro: Focus (this depends on your personal approach- Pessimists would say “Work slow/low productivity”; Optimists can say “It’s now easier to focus on key tasks”)
- Con: Building workplace relationships virtually is tough (as the new guy I have a lot of questions for people. But I haven’t built any capital in those relationships yet…)
- Pro: Regular team video calls, which helps to build some relationships, and put faces to names
- Con: Unpredictable interruptions. Fire alarms, barking dog, deliveries…
- Pro: Flexibility. Space & time to think
- Con: Not seeing processes and workflow in-person (Logistics is quite a hands-on industry- hard to optimise processes if you’ve never see them!)
What challenges are we facing while we WFH?
One thing that came up recently in a BBC article I saw was video chat-fatigue from people using Zoom/Webex etc for a combination of video work meetings, video chats with family, friends, etc. We are all using these tools much more than we did before. Some aspects include:
- While work calls often have well-defined start & end times, there often isn’t a “good” reason to end calls with friends or family (since all your chores and errands have been curtailed). It can be hard to end a call for both sides…
- When a majority of your work interactions are via camera, you may feel like you are “always on”. Or it may feel like you’re “watching tv”, but the tv is ‘watching you back”! That can wear you out…
One suggestion is to make sure you take breaks, step away and stretch, or just get away from a screen and rest your eyes for a minute. It’s recommended to break every 20–25 minutes, and look at something far away to help your eyes rest. Following the pomodoro technique (a 25-minute approach to tasks) might be helpful if you lose track of time.
It is also recommended to split your schedule and take a morning break, lunch break, and afternoon break. Typically, at least a 15min/30min/15min approach would be good.
Control your schedule: I recommend putting lunch on your calendar, to avoid meetings being schedule in there. Avoid accepting or scheduling too many meetings in a row. If you have no choice, make sure you leave time for a break in-between to give your brain a break (even just for 5mins!).
Another is to decide that turning on the camera is optional; it helps to take a break from the “always on” feeling, and can give your brain a rest! Ask your workplace if that is possible.
One more issue is lack of direction, or distraction. It can be hard to concentrate sometimes when working at home due to the environment you may have around you (kids, pets, partners also on call, deliveries, fire alarm testing…).
One tip I learned to deal with that (from my new co-workers) is to identify and then concentrate on just 1 key thing per day you need to get done, and make sure to cross it off the to-do list! If I can do that 1 thing every day, I feel a sense of accomplishment, and I’m also able to deal with whatever distractions might pop up.
What’s Next?
No-one has a crystal ball for this situation.
Looking ahead, I think this will be the new normal for another several months.
Even after COVID has a vaccine, many people will not return to office-work 100%.
I think my co-workers and I are making the best of it right now. We will have a gradual return to the office as things become safer, but personally I would like to keep a few WFH days in my regular schedule long-term.
When thinking about how to prepare for a WFH lifestyle in your new job, I have some recommendations. Please see the next entry in this series here!
Summing Up
Immigrants to Canada go through a lot to get here. Finding a job during COVID is a massive challenge. Starting a new job form home because of it is also tough, but I believe you can do it. Please refer to the tips above on ways to make sure you start smoothly from home.
I hope everyone lucky enough to be able to work from home is able to adjust to the situation, has understanding family to provide a quiet place for you, and has understanding co-workers that let you turn off the camera sometimes! Make sure you take breaks from the screen periodically, and try taking a call with a coworker on the phone while you go for a walk outside.
Good luck!
Other Articles in the Series:
- Pre- & Post-Arrival Services
- Your LinkedIn Profile
- How to Structure Your Job Search
- Prepare for Your Job interview
- The Interview (In-person and Video)
- Connection Request on LinkedIn
- Networking
- Building Strong Relationships
- Resume and Cover Letter Tips
- LinkedIn Power Details
- Follow and Unfollow
- Informational Interviews
- Mentoring & Associations
- Bridging Programs
- Dealing with Rejection
- Starting a Job During COVID
- First months on the Job During COVID
- Planning your Job Search, Plan A, B, C to Z
- Canadian Experience
- Finding Temporary Accommodation
If you have requests for any more topics, or want to add information of your own, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Good luck with your journey as a newcomer and job-seeker here in Canada!
Who Am I?
Hello, I am Garry. Nice to meet you. Here is my LinkedIn profile. After 15yrs living in Japan, I moved to Canada in late 2019. Since I got here, I have learned a lot from friends, great mentors and advisors, pre- and post-arrival services, and good old-fashioned internet research! I would like to share that advice with you and help you on your journey here in Canada.
Also earlier this year I talked about some of these things in a LinkedIn article, and in a webinar with NewCanadians I discussed with some smart people about the newcomer’s job search and the impacts of COVID-19. Please check them out!
