How To Manage Blurred Work Hours In Pandemic Times

When you are constantly working from home in a lockdown scenario, there can be a natural and unconscious blurring of the time given to family versus time spent on work.  You become a slave to your work and can also lose track of time. With Work From Home to become a reality for many companies, in coming months, there might be a need redefine these boundaries after all.  According to the University of Jyväskylä, in Finland, there is a more positive way to looking at how these blurred boundaries can give us a fresh perspective to work.

For those who might be occasional workers, there are companies that don’t allow the use of laptops at home. The smart phone is a ‘smart’ use that can still help you remain connected at home.  It also gives you the flexibility to remain connected, yet use the leisure of home to work from. You can be taking breaks and you are not answerable for that.

In virtual space, without the physical presence of colleagues, work can become stressful and isolating. If you do have family home, it’s a bonus. In such scenario, the London School of Economics has undertaken a study to show that the new and redefined role of the reporting manger can be of great help. Celebrating and applauding small wins and movements, in the virtual space, through a celebration party can create a wonderful atmosphere of encouragement.

It has also been seen that good leadership should show compassion and trust amongst their employees. It is important to acknowledge that they are doing work and trust that they are doing so. So, refraining from keeping control over people at such lockdown times can be a huge demotivator and stressful too. The idea is to be able to let the line blurr, but in a way that does not leave you feeling exhausted and drained. Create a workspace for yourself. Remember, not to use your personal space as your work space. Else, the demarcations of resting space are gone. Create a green corner because that keeps stress at low levels. Also, try and work near a window where there is ample fresh air. These are things which help you manage even longer working hours, if you are working from home.