LOOKING BACK: AFTER 1YR OF WORK FROM HOME
Tips for Working Remotely
Right now it’s April 2021.
The COVID19 pandemic has been affecting work and home life around the world for over 15 months now.
For many working white-collar professionals, COVID forced a shift to a work-from-home (WFH) mode.
What has your experience been like? Do you have Zoom fatigue? Do your working hours spill into overtime? (know your contract details!)
Do you still wear pajamas and play games like LEGO guy? Or are you juggling family and work commitments like this?
If you are staying on top of your calendar, juggling all the things and still enjoying virtual drinking dates and quiz nights with friends, that’s great!
Well, whichever camp you fall into, hopefully I have some tips to help you organize your WFH days a little better!
WFH Becoming Standard (in some industries)
Work from home/Remote work is going to stick around. For some jobs.
At the beginning of the pandemic many tech companies enabled indefinite work-from-home. Now over 1yr later with vaccinations making their way through the world, companies are preparing to re-open offices and welcome back workers.
But many are still offering elements of WFH, through a hybrid model.
Twitter, Google and Facebook are doing it. Microsoft has been studying their own WFH results and figuring out how to change and make the experience better.
What will your workplace offer moving forward? Do you look forward to staying 100% WFH, spending some days at the office, or are you in the “I can’t wait to get back in the office” camp?
What’s my experience been?
After relocating from Japan in late-2019, I started my first Canadian job as a project manager in Metro, on April 1st, 2020.
Fortunately I found that job before COVID was a thing. Here’s how I did it.
After 1 month, I wrote about my experience on-boarding remotely for a company that had previously been 100% office-based. While my new colleagues were learning ‘on the job’ and transitioning hundred’s of employees to WFH, I was trying to figure out who was who, and how to dial into the VPN! Was that your experience too?
I was also struggling with my attempts to work around my ‘coworker’ from my kitchen table:
WFH: In the Beginning
After a year, I still feel like since my WFH experience started with on-boarding from home, it was somewhat of a ‘soft landing’.
Many companies were figuring out their processes for the first time too, but it has become more normal now (since over 1yr has passed), and several businesses have been created to help new employees smoothly go through their on-boarding processes from home.
I got a welcome package (one of the recommended steps to make new employees feel part of the team) plus my laptop and phone shipped to me. All the admin processing was handled over email/phone. Compared to other first days in any new jobs, this experience was less stressful.
In May 2020 I optimistically said “Looking ahead, I think this will be the new normal for another 1–2 months”
1 year later and we are still going. So that’s a D- minus for my psychic powers..!
How to make your WFH Office more comfortable?
I think there are two sides to making your new work normal a little easier every day.
There’s a What (Stuff) and a How (Approach)
Is your stuff set up to make your body comfortable?
In other words, are you more left pic or right pic?:
Are your chair & desk a good combo for your back & shoulders? Are the screen settings straining your eyes? What height is everything at? Do you have good natural light with the desk in this corner, instead of that corner?
Take a moment and re-assess your work from home office.
The Good Stuff
At the start of the pandemic most of us made do with the available space we could find fastest. Are you still there 1 year later? Is it your most optimum set-up?
First thing I did when stores were stocked up again, was get a new desk just for work. I also moved out of the kitchen to a dedicated space. Much easier to concentrate!
Take Care of Your Back, Neck & Shoulders
I invested in a second (larger) screen, and put it on a basic stand to get it at my eye-level.
I also got this small laptop stand to prop up my computer and place my camera angle at a better height:
There is a wireless mouse and keyboard set which I set up with a mouse-mat that has an included wrist support, and then I also have a cushion pad to rest my elbows on. No more (or hopefully less) carpal tunnel!
I also (early-on) grabbed an affordable office chair from Ikea. It rolls, has adjustable height and back, and helps me sit upright. I added a back cushion to keep my posture. If I could do it over again, I’d probably buy a pricier model with arm-rests, but this one does the job.
Make Things Easy to Access
To the side I got a small shelf unit set-up to house my papers and also provide a place for my printer. No more pulling it from the closet every time I need to print or scan something!
Don’t forget to support your eyes.
Several people encourage using blue-light glasses, but before you do that, first ask if you have set up your computer programs optimally?
I switched my OS to dark mode, activated dark themes for each program where possible, adjusted brightness settings & activated night mode on my laptop and monitor.
This all helps ensure my eyes don’t get too strained.
Accessorize!
I added a floor rug so my feet are warm, I always have a water glass by my side to stay hydrated, and a memo pad at hand for quick notes.
Good Habits
Having a fixed schedule
Being at home, without your commute, maybe 50cm from your desk, can make it hard to put your brain into ‘Work mode’. That’s where a schedule can help.
If you know that “after I do A/B/C, then it’s time for work!” you will be ready to start off on the right foot in the mornings.
Make sure you:
- Sleep enough
- Eat breakfast
- Drink water
- Stretch
- Open a window for a blast of fresh air
- Keep your bedroom or workspace clean
- and keep yourself clean too!
Control your daily schedule
In addition to starting your day off well, throughout the day try to have a fixed time for:
- Work start
- Morning break
- Lunch
- Afternoon break
- End of day
The routine will help you deal with the less structured time since there is no commute anymore (which used to act as a barrier between work and home).
Common Calendar
If you have personal and family commitments, I also encourage you to keep them both on the same calendar (Outlook, Google, or good old pen & paper) so that you are clear on your must-do personal tasks, and then schedule work around them.
When you wrap-up your work day, confirm tomorrow’s top action!
I recommend taking a quick note (pen and paper) for yourself, and then only working on that priority 1 thing before you start anything else.
Lastly, before you shut down for the night- check your calendar for tomorrow! What time is your first meeting/task at?
Ok, I get it. But why bother?
I put off making changes for several months because I thought this would all be temporary. Is that how you feel too?
We cannot be certain right now when the pandemic will end, but we can feel that several companies will allow WFH/remote work to stay a part of the work culture moving forward.
Why not make some changes now, and feel the benefit while you can?
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.
I share advice on my blog Canadian Newcomer, to help new immigrants have a smooth landing for their Canadian journey.
Earlier in 2020 I talked about looking for work during COVID with smart people in a webinar with NewCanadians, and I was also featured in a podcast of Immigrants of Toronto in early 2021. Please check them out!
