We are now in the second year of the covid-19 pandemic worldwide,which has led companies through many adaptations, trying to find ways to search ways to circumvent uncertainty aiming to keep our spirits up and keeping up the productivity levels of the employees in the pandemic. So, how have these changes affected offices in the world?
The home office offered many professionals an opportunity to better organize their tasks and increase their productivity while having more free time. On the other hand, some remote workers experienced more difficulties to concentrate or manage their time appropriately due to family demands, inappropriate workspaces, or household chores.
Offices and productivity in pandemic times
The uncertainty brought by the pandemic has affected the company’s productivity , because the productive ability of people is intricately linked to their emotions, i.e., when you are nervous, sad, anxious, or worried, it is common to become less efficient at work than expected.
The moment calls us to connect more with our our our feelings and thoughts.Only in this way, it is possible to deal with the apprehension of a crisis that affects the economy, health, and well-being all over the world.
Everyone reacts differently and has unique ways of staying motivated.Some workers have been able to adapt smoothly to home office, while many others continue to seek a balance between the outro realities of their home life and their work or career.
Although we already see a gradual return to the offices, fear, and insecurity facing Covid-19 continue to have a significant impact on people’s minds, with an emotional overload that affects their performance. This has become a major concern for the Human Resources area, they have to find strategies aimed at improving the mental health of their employees.
Benefits of Home Office
As we mentioned before, many employees were able to effectively adapt their office at home and they even feel completely satisfied working this way.
After series of adaptations, remote workers have created their own space to conduct their professional work.
With the lockdown, they may have realized their lifelong dream of experiencing greater autonomy in managing their time, a fact that undoubtedly meant a great deal to them and their love of freedom. For them, remote work reduced the hassles of the daily routine. No more suffering through traffic congestion on the way to work or back home! Those who used to spend one hour or more on their daily routes, now had more free time to enjoy.
And although working at home also leads to other routines, we have learned to alleviate its negative effects by taking strategic breaks to cook, take a walk, do the laundry, play with our children -and pets-, stretching, looking at the plants, drinking water, or a cup of coffee… In other cases, we may have learned that the idea of these “breaks” is to really let our body and senses relax, so we avoid spending that time in distractions such as cell phones or video games.
This flexibility of the Home Office system makes us think that there won’t be steps back to the old office model soon. Companies and offices will never be the same after the pandemic. Today, people who work from home have realized how possible it is to perform the functions and responsibilities of their jobs in their own space while keeping up their productivity levels.
The difficulties of the Home Office
Although home office work has advantages in terms of time management, it also poses certain difficulties in that regard. Taking care of your house and family can affect the completion on time of work demands. Homeworkers often must deal with distractions! A 5-minute break, for example, can last half an hour on social networks, or even more if you engage in a conversation. Time flies!
Therefore, it is essential to separate the activities and dedicate the required time to them at the right moment; that requires discipline and organization. Without a clear division of tasks (hierarchized according to their importance or urgency), there is no way to dedicate quality time to work -translated into productivity- without neglecting the needs of the family.
There is no doubt that working in offices and companies still will be the most favorable system to separate the time dedicated to home and work obligations. Remote work meant no longer being in that fixed location where we used to perform our functions 100% of the time. However, in this other work system, time can be unprofitable if we do not know how to manage it, because, at the end of the day, it is and will be a limited resource.
That is why we recommend staying focused on work during your scheduled shift. If the family and/or the home require our care, it is imperative to set adequate schedules to take care of them without affecting the productivity of our jobs. Only in this way it will be possible to act in every role we play professionally and into our family.
So you need to keep your working hours to yourself. As much as the family needs to be looked after, it's also necessary to establish schedules well. With this, you can atuar in every role: career, personal and family.
How has the pandemic affected you at work? We want to hear your story!
Tell us more in the comments to continue this conversation.
