Home working and family life

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Even as the UK government begins to lift restrictions that affect all aspects of our lives, it seems that ‘work from home’ (WFH) is here to stay. Although the actual directive ‘work from home of you can’ is about to be revised, many firms have found that they have been able to work more efficiently during WFH. Such aspects as time saved for commuting and money saved on commuting and shopping during the working week have seen staff think differently about how they should be carrying out their jobs. They have also seen how much better their work-life balance can be, if a hybrid part-WFH, part-office-based model is adopted in the future.

But working from home is not a natural state of living for many people. For example, if you work in a house with other members of your family that may be home schooling or on school holidays, or if they are doing their own jobs from home, then it’s not always as easy to be as productive as in an office –  away from the myriad distractions and your ‘normal life’.

Positive family impacts

So how does your working at home affect your family? Often it can be in a very positive way. Some clients have mentioned to me that their working from home has made other people realise how difficult their job was, or how many meetings they had each day. As all this is taking place within four walls at home – no traveling to meetings, all calls taken at home – there’s no way of disguising the fact that if you’re busy, you’re busy. Because an office job formerly happened ‘behind closed doors’ to your family life, no amount of explaining could fully define what your working day was. Now they can see it for themselves.

Unconscious signals

Even working from home, you need to try and keep your work life and home life as completely separate entities where you can. We don’t always realise how family and partners absorb the unconscious signals and information we are putting out. I’ve found this can be especially noticeable with younger members of the family. I was thinking about this in relation to my youngest son, when he started asking me when he was about 10, “How many people have you helped to get a job today?” The fact that he even acknowledges what my job entails is interesting in itself, but also that he understands that I am helping people to find employment as part of my own day-to-day life.

I have also heard him comment: “You like your work. My friend’s parents moan a lot when they get home from work.” Again, this is very gratifying that he has taken on board what I am doing and that I am enjoying it. His comment also highlights another aspect of WFH of course – that for many people going to an office every day is actually a welcome distraction from home life and it’s not always seen as a an ideal. And that their children have noticed this too. That cut-off of leaving work every day for many is a vital part of their lives. However, I think I may have gone too far and my son has been listening to me too much when he said he’d applied to be a Junior Road Safety Officer at the age of seven – because he says it would look good on his CV…

Speak to our team if you are in need of our services.

 

Next steps: what the end of furlough means for HR

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After 30 September, the furlough scheme will cease. This is going to have an impact on both employers and employees, and will make them think about what their business will look like going forward. Some have argued that the scheme has artificially supported businesses that were already struggling, while others have pointed out that the economy as a whole has, and will continue, to benefit from the initiative in the long-term. Hopefully, companies can simply bring their staff back as normal and business will pick up again. But not all companies are in as good a shape financially as they were before the pandemic and bringing all their staff back might not be an option.

Unemployment spike predicted

Economists are predicting that there will be an inevitable spike in unemployment after the end of September – and HR professionals should be prepared for their companies to think long and hard about what resources are actually needed in the present economic climate. The winding-up of furlough will remove this false sense of security that is present in the economy at the moment. It’s impossible to accurately chart how the economy is doing, or indeed predict how it will recover – both post-Covid and post-furlough. And it’s also difficult to pinpoint with any accuracy the UK’s current unemployment figures or get an accurate snapshot of the jobs market. All these unknowns are creating uncertainty for economists and business managers alike.

The shape of things to come

As ‘normal’ returns and people return to work, HR professionals will need to start looking at the structures in their own organisations. The big question is: will they need to bring everybody back? There have been some significant changes to the way offices function during lockdown, with remote working being implemented for many people. HR will have to look both at the people required to carry out the work but also in relation to the office space the company has available. If you’re adopting a hybrid model of working – with flexible home and office placement – then you’re not going to need as much office space all the time.

The value of outplacement

At times like these, outplacement advice is extremely valuable, when people are already feeling vulnerable and wondering what the future holds for them post-furlough. So, talking to an experienced consultant can help allay fears and give employees focus on where their future direction may be.

With so many different predictions of the landscape of employment, it’s impossible to predict what happens next. But looking at the overview now and preparing various HR scenarios could give your company an advantage, when the inevitable happens and furlough ends.

Speak to our team if you are in need of our services.

Keeping fighting fit

The last 15 months have sometimes been a trying, stressful time for a number of reasons. The sense of normality resuming – at the same time as the actuality being anything but – has led to feelings of confusion and anxiety in many of us. Having an outlet beyond work is an important aspect of general wellbeing. It can be seeing family and friends. Or it may be an established or new-found passion for an activity. Let’s hope that the ongoing improvements we have made to some aspects of our lives – such as tweaks to the mental and physical health elements of our daily routine – are able to be carried over, once things have returned to ‘normal’ and our hectic lives take over once more.

Routine changes

We can all benefit from having outside interests. These can be anything from ongoing hobbies, or self-improvement or leisure courses that last a specific period of time. They may enhance our mental health, our physical health, or both. And they are an intrinsic part of who we are and how we can cope in these challenging times. Many of us have worried about work, or the lack of it, during the past 15 months. Some of us have had to adapt and change our career path. Others have had to adapt in other ways. The knock-on effect of these sometimes-drastic changes has been disruption to our routines. These disruptions for many can make a big difference to our wellbeing. This is particularly true when our extracurricular activities, such as sport and leisure, are impacted.

Some of us have had to curtail doing our hobbies – for a time that included such diverse group activities as team sports or theatrical productions – while some have been able to carry on, by using virtual platforms. Many exercise classes, for example, were able to carry on via the medium of internet hosting platforms such as Zoom and Google Teams, with groups at home in their own lounges following instructors remotely in their lounges.

Every little helps

We need to retain a healthy work-life balance and we can also set and achieve goals. Setting goals is an important part of many people’s lives. They don’t have to be massive and lifechanging, but cumulatively they will improve your general wellbeing. Many of these may seem small at the time, but you never know the difference they are making until they are taken away. For example, with the advent of big international holidays being an uncertainty for some time to come, it could be that people make positive decisions to visit parts of the UK they aren’t familiar with. Looking forward to a holiday is one of the most crucial aspects of anyone’s wellbeing. Having that date set in the far distance, knowing that you’ll be away and relaxing in new surroundings, is almost always a pleasurable experience and gives you something to look forward to on the horizon.

So too with hobbies and social activities – having something regular to look forward to enables us to focus on a positive. The upshot of this is that there are many positives we must still do post-pandemic, that will enrich our personal lives in the future.

New goals

Wellbeing is also partly about setting fresh goals and engaging with new ideas that include diverse experiences. On a personal level, I’ve never been to a music festival and would quite like to. It’s about thinking creatively about the things we can do to enjoy ourselves and that makes us think and feel differently. My biggest goal at the moment is to achieve a black belt in Taekwondo. My journey has been slowed but not stopped during the pandemic, as my classes moved online. But with in-person sessions resuming I feel optimistic about the future. I’d recommend to anyone that it’s worth finding something that they’ve always fancied trying and give it a go. You have no idea where that journey may take you and how the experience can enhance your personality and wellbeing.

Thinking positively – making your office space work for you

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We have all dealt with working from home differently. We’ve adapted in ways we never thought we would and have become used to aspects of our working lives being diversely different. One of the key topics of the WFH debate has been around mental health and general wellbeing. We’re not all fortunate enough to have a home office, so in light of recent discussions about hybrid working being here to stay, how do we make sure we feel good when we’re ‘at work’, despite not leaving the house?

A workspace for you

Your WFH environment needs to be a place that you feel comfortable in, but also where you can be productive. Some people like the surround themselves with the familiar, or clutter, while others want no distractions at all. If you think about your office environment in your workplace, it’s often quite neutral, sterile even. The space is functional and it serves its purpose. Aspects like plants and sofas sometimes add a bit of minimalist character. But employers are realising that when more effort and thought is put into work environments, the greater rewards they garner in terms of staff wellbeing and productivity. The same should apply to where you work at home too.

Dressed to impress

At home, some people differentiate between relaxing and working by dressing differently. This is a good way of maintaining the boundary between these different activities. The jokes about people working in their pyjamas or from bed only go so far and eventually both productivity and mental health will be impacted. Not differentiating between where you work and where you sleep can have serious impacts on your sleep patterns, especially if you begin to associate negative aspects of work – such as stress – with your bedroom. Equally, if your other living spaces become given over to work – your kitchen table for example, or your dining table – then you can start to associate somewhere that was always a relaxing, neutral space with work. Dressing for work can help buffer against any negative associations with your environment, as you are ‘at work’. It’s a separate ‘you’ from just being at home.

Colour me confident

It’s all about discovering what works best for you. I tend to use different clothes, to distinguish from work and home life – even though the kitchen is only one step away from my home office.  It just makes me feel as though I’m not ‘at home’, but rather engages my mind in a more productive, business-like mode. You hold yourself differently if you are more smartly dressed and your posture impacts on how you feel and how you appear to others – for example, via video conferencing. Also, as someone who likes colour, it’s very important to me and energises me when I’m in a positive environment.

Having vibrant colours for me makes for a really creative environment and one that I feel comfortable and confident in. For you it might be something more functional, that more closely resembles your workplace office. Or it may be completely littered with clutter – again, perhaps that resembles your workplace office. It’s about getting the balance right. You don’t have to stick to one environment. Swap things around and find out what works best for you – for you to work best.

Speak to our team if you are in need of our services.

Under new management

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The new working landscape is bringing with it new challenges and working rules. Managers are having to adapt quickly to very different working conditions, both in the workplace and in the wider world at large. Some staff are still working from home, some are furloughed, some are back in the office. Teams are displaced and managers are left managing their staff across myriad platforms. With all these different ways of working, do you have the right processes in place to meet these demands and are your managers equipped to deal with the new normal?

Getting mixed messages

We are all trying to find the best way to approach this ‘new normal’. Some people are comfortable with masks and shopping, using public transport or going out for dinner, while others are taking things slowly and dipping their toes in the post-Covid water tentatively. Fearmongering in the press, which seems to be an electrocardiogram of emotions at the moment, isn’t helping. One day all is fine and freedom for all, the next day, the umpteenth new strain has emerged and the threat of lockdown looms again. How can business managers cope with this constantly changing news narrative?  We’re all back to work, we’re not. Work from home when you can, stay at home. Meet outdoors, go into the pub. These mixed messages are creating uncertainty for many people.

Plan ahead and build confidence

Every company is different. As an HR professional, you should be approaching your business with a view as to what is best for you and your staff. Keep a close eye on your employees. Monitoring their mental health is one of the most important things you should be doing, even working remotely. It’s sometimes difficult to ascertain if members of your team are struggling with working from home or are suffering anxieties about returning to the office. Not everyone wants to discuss it. And not all people working from home are doing so by choice. Some would gladly be back in the office, but the return process hasn’t been thought through and communicated, or there isn’t the capacity to safely bring everyone back in. Communicating with your team will help alleviate their fears and demonstrate that you have a long-term plan that they can have confidence in.

Out the other side

Staff need the security and guidance of good management. Some reply on it to get things done, while others can work well independently, and only need to check in from time to time. But having a roadmap out of this business crisis, a situation none of us could ever foresee and plan for, is imperative. It doesn’t look like the threat of this virus and its multiple variants is going to dispel anytime soon, so you need to look at your business model and see where improvements can be made.

The hybrid office model seems to be the way forward, with some staff in on certain days. In this way most office spaces can be mostly occupied, most of the time. Though work from home has had its critics, the world hasn’t ended. Office-based staff have been able to work from home, and all the essential services have continued to function. But the question remains that we all now need to see what the working world looks like, on the other side of this business crisis.

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Brief encounters: Have face to face meetings had their day?

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For many years, discussions around environmental issues have highlighted a trend in modern business – the unnecessary journey. Was that meeting absolutely essential and did it have to be conducted face to face? But in the vast majority of cases, it was deemed essential, as that’s how business works and that’s how meetings work. But there’s been a massive change in emphasis in the last 12 months in where we work and how we work. With working from home and the rise of online conferencing platforms, have in-person meetings finally had their day?

Working apart

With some staff returning, albeit part-time, to the office space, it feels like things are getting back to some kind of normal. But certain work practices implemented for WFH have actually turned out to be advantageous to many people. A long commute for some has not been missed, for example. Nor the ‘getting ready for work’ routine in a morning, that involved actually getting dressed properly.

But other work formalities have changed too, such as in-person business meetings. The advent of online conferencing has enabled many people to carry on their office jobs much as normal. They have been able to have team meetings, to meet new clients and even generate new business. They have been able to see people ‘in the flesh’ (onscreen), rather than over a phone call, and they have even conducted interviews and hired personnel for new jobs.

The bigger picture

But think of the wider impact of that for a moment. These meetings can be achieved from your own home. There is no costly commute, there is no environmental impact from whatever mode of transport would have carried you to the meeting, and most of all, there’s no precious time wasted travelling to and from the meeting. Remember this can be a trip down a motorway in the UK, but just as easily be a flight to mainland Europe or in fact anywhere in the world. Of course, there’s still the same prep time needed before an online meeting and analysis of the outcomes afterwards. But if the same results can be achieved without having to do all those other things, what is the point of meeting face to face?

With purpose and outcomes

Well, there are also many people who believe in-person meetings remain an essential part of the business landscape. This is especially true if you are meeting new clients or employees. You can get a much better handle on a person’s true nature – confidence, ability, presence, personability – when you meet them in real life, than you would from through a screen or monitor. The fact is that meetings in the future need to be more purposeful. They need to have a defined agenda with an essential and necessary purpose.

What will actually happen, like the office/home working, is there will be a more flexible, hybrid model. If in-person meetings are to continue (and I’m a strong advocate for them to carry on in some form) then there needs to be a definite reason and business case for it to take place – a true justification of the impact it has on other areas of our working lives.

Speak to us if you are in need of our services.

What is the working landscape going to look like post-pandemic?

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As restrictions start to ease, there is a lot of discussion of what the working landscape will look like in the future. ‘Work After Lockdown’ is a major research project funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC). It is part of UK Research & Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19. The report examines how the enforced working from home in the UK since March 2020 is changing how people want to work in the future and how organisations respond.

According to the report, 73% of employees would prefer to work from home at least some of the time. Or have the option to perform specific work tasks within the home office environment. However, having spoken to a number of HR professionals in a range of companies in different sectors over the last few weeks, it appears that many employers have a different view. Some are keen to insist on a full return to the office.

The best of both worlds

Only small numbers of people would like to be back in the office full time or permanently based from home. It seems that the ideal solution for many employees would be hybrid working. This provides the discretion and flexibility to adjust the place and timing of work to enable it to fit better with everything else.

This has the potential to benefit both the employee and the company they work for. Although  ground rules need to be set. Expectations of both parties must be clearly identified and agreed from the outset.

Opening the lines of communication

It will be important over the next few months for employers to think carefully about how they approach the return to the office. If indeed that is the plan.  Consultation and communication with the wider team during this period is also highly advisable.  Many employees understandably feel that they have shown that they can work productively at home. So, an insistence that everyone needs to return to the office, with no consideration of the impact that this will have, is unlikely to go down well.

By undertaking clear and open communication, both employers and employees will be able to present their ideas and discuss the feasibility of the proposed new way of working.

An appetite for innovation

The future of the workplace is not yet determined. Employers and employees have an unprecedented opportunity to shape their prospective working relationships. By embracing change they can create an environment that is truly fit for the 21st century in terms of job and workspace design. This will ensure the needs of the company and the individual are met.

Maintaining morale

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The importance of maintaining a positive approach to work, even during these turbulent times, is a regular theme of our Career Evolution articles.  There are many ways you can approach this, and the right tips need to be tailored to the needs of your individual business. However, we have compiled a few of the ones we think are most important to give you a starting point.

Communicate more

People are generally more engaged when they are kept informed and understand what is happening to them and why. It also helps if you listen to their comments too.

Ideas anyone?

Morale improves when your team feels valued. Encourage, share and implement innovations and ideas. This is particularly important while so many of us are still working from home.

Celebrate success

Even during difficult times it is important to celebrate success – whether this is a new project win, completion of an existing project or the acknowledgement of an award – celebrate, even if it’s just with a coffee and a cake via Zoom!

And appreciate a job well done

Saying ‘thank you’ goes a long way towards helping with morale. Appreciation doesn’t need to cost money, it just has to be genuine.

Smile!

Smiling is contagious and is scientifically proven to have a beneficial effect on both the smiler and the smilee.

Offer flexibility

It might not always be possible to reward people financially. However, offering some flexibility in working hours might help people feel more motivated.

The right environment

Everything from the lighting to the heating, the seating and the technology all have a role to play in how someone feels about their workplace. Again, with so many workers currently in their home environment, it might just be a case if checking they have everything that they need to get the job done.

Giving something back

Many people like the opportunity to be able to give something back to the community. Encouraging your team to get involved in community projects – or fundraise for charity – builds your reputation with your staff and your local area.

Have fun…

You spend a huge percentage of your life working, so take the time to have some fun in your working day too. A short break from the daily grind will help make the team work more effectively.

Return to the office

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For many of us, something like ‘normal’ is slowly approaching. After what actually seems like a remarkably short winter, spring is here. And as the buds start to come out, so can we. Some businesses are beginning to think of how to bring at least some of their workforce back to the offices in the near future.  The logistics are complicated, the territory uncharted, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. As this strange chapter in our lives comes to a close, have we been working from home, or living at work?

The outside world

Some people have adapted to working from home rather well. Others have been doing it for years and are now pleased that it’s being recognised as a viable way to be both productive and happy. For others beginning to get back to work, or even travelling to work – sometimes using public transport – will present significant challenges. You don’t have to be a particularly nervous person to feel as though this virus is a very dangerous issue, which has to be taken seriously. The statistics don’t lie and this has had a huge impact on the UK population and economy. Mind-sets have changed and you can’t just say one morning, “Right, all back to normal now. Off we go!”

Transitioning slowly

The transition back into offices needs to be a progressive one. For many an office will feel like a very alien environment. For certain people there are some behavioural changes that can be implemented, to make them less anxious about returning to work. Social skills may have been impacted by months of seclusion. It’s a good idea to start taking small steps, to rebuild confidence in interacting with people. This might get you used to using public transport once more. Or at least moving among people and conversing in a natural, friendly way. It may feel strange wearing a mask, but try and smile and be yourself as you go about your activity. Social distancing and masks are a constant reminder that this isn’t ‘normal’, but until they are dispensed with, they’re here to stay.

Safe office space

It’s also important for employers to reassure their staff that they will be returning to a Covid-safe environment. This will mean there will be sanitising measures, social distancing observed, and potentially, flexible working. Some people are more productive in the office, some at home. Some managers prefer their staff present in the office, but for many large firms – especially those cited in multi-storey buildings or in densely-populated business districts – the complications of space and numbers just aren’t feasible to bring everyone back at once.

It’s been suggested by some commentators that around one third of the workforce will be in at any one time. This is particularly true in the larger organisations. A proportion will be in some days, other staff on others, with larger groups in for key team meetings or training. But by and large, working from home will continue to be with us, in one form or another, for a while yet.

Speaking to a mentor or coach, either at work, or externally can help build confidence. It can ascertain what aspects of returning to the office you are looking forward to, and which fill you with dread. If working from home suits you, then don’t feel as though you’re being forced to go back in, while others have missed the interaction and can’t wait to return to the working environment once more.

Going the extra mile

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One of the strange by-products of being under lockdown for long periods of the last 12 months is how divisive depictions of the outside world have become. Our biggest contact with the wider world is of course the media. But there is a ‘them’ and ‘us’ divide on almost every aspect of reporting at the moment. From politics, generational differences and the Royal Family, to where you should go on holiday – home or abroad, when home for some people literally means ‘at home’.

But what can so often be forgotten at the moment is simple kindness. The kindness of going that extra mile and beyond the call of duty. To make sure of others’ mental and physical wellbeing. The impact the national lockdowns, the lack of social interaction, the lessening of physical contact and the ongoing work from home policy, has left many people feeling isolated. Even if they have large extended families or wide circles of friends, the ability to meet up with them has been taken away. Even within your own household activity is limited. You may not want to go out for a meal, or a clothes’ shopping spree,. However, it would be nice to at least have the option. And work from home is wearing thin for some now. As for many, their dining room table continues its dual role as eatery and office – taking eating ‘al desco’ to an entirely new level.

A duty of care

What we’ve found at Career Evolution is that we’ve been more in contact than normal with our clients. Checking in with them regularly. Our Consultants and Coaches always aim to build up a strong and continuing relationship with their clients during their time together. But we’re finding that it‘s simple things like asking for an update on progress – if they are undergoing the outplacement process – or getting updates in their job search or career progression, that have really been appreciated.

We have found this extra commitment, for example, checking in with clients after they have been in their new roles for three months, to ensure they’ve settled in, makes a big difference. We’ve also found that it’s happened naturally, as opposed to being something that was premeditated. Also, all our clients know that they can keep in touch with us, even after they have secured their new role. That ongoing contact enables us to address any concerns our clients may have or allow us to apply reassurance and ongoing guidance where necessary.

Whether it’s checking in with your next-door neighbour, contacting a colleague to say ‘hello’ or following up on a client’s progress and feedback following a job interview, try to find the time to make sure they’re okay. You have no idea how much some people will appreciate it.