A lot of us are working from our apartments, condos, and homes this spring. For the fortunate Canadians with jobs that allow them to work from home, it’s meant keeping money coming in.
As with any change in work environment, there are aspects of working from home that are appealing and others that are challenging. Bad habits develop. For the sake of health and productivity, here are some of the things a work-from-home employee shouldn’t be doing and why.
Behaving Like A Day Off
Recreate your office habits at home as best as you can. This isn’t a day off. It’s not the time to work in your pajamas. Dress the part. Be professional, even if no one can see you.
When we’re in leisure clothes, we don’t tend to have the mindset of, ‘It’s time to work’. Add to that, work-from-home mode can be tough to turn off. When there’s no way to differentiate between work time and time to relax, things can start to feel like you’re always working.
Bad Posture
This whole ‘work-from-home’ directive caught a lot of us off-guard. This has meant people completing shifts from a mix of their kitchen tables, beds, and even in the washroom. This only leads to bad posture, aches and pains, and a wanting for proper ergonomic home office essentials.
Do yourself right and buy a few things for yourself. Set up a home office with an office desk. Ergonomic is the keyword. Find ergonomic accessories to help your posture. The damage and stress we put our bodies through, it adds up. An ergonomic workstation is something worth investing in, especially for work-from-home Canadians who don’t foresee being back in their office environment for some time.
Stressing About the Conditions Around You
For most of us, this has been a very big change. It happened quickly. Few of us were prepared. No one’s expecting you to be in the perfect and most professional work setting. Dogs barking, or kids yelling, and things going on around you can be distracting. Don’t stress about it.
If you have anxiety about how your work-from-home home office is coming off to others, be honest at the start. At the beginning of a phone call or video conference, let the other person know what’s going on so that they’re not surprised by an interruption. You don’t have to do this but it might ease some of your worries.
Failing to Communicate
Studies have shown we are more productive when we keep lines of communication open. Consider your colleagues and check in from time to time. Chat a bit, provide work updates, maintain contact with superiors.
It can also get a little lonely being locked up at home 24/7. Especially if you’re living alone, checking in with colleagues during work time can help make it feel like you’re still at the office.
Featured photo by Luke Peters on Unsplash
