Don’t get us wrong – we’re really pleased to see things opening up again and life slowly getting back to some kind of normal, after 18 months of very strange times. Going out for cocktails, popping round to a friend’s house for a cuppa, seeing our fave bands live on stage again – all excellent stuff. But going back to the office, commuting every day and the politics of the aircon? Hmmmm, not so much.
When the ‘work from home’ order came back in March 2020, those of us it affected were a bit thrown. Would we get any work done with Netflix in such close proximity? Microsoft Teams, what’s that? And what do you mean, office desks are sold out everywhere?! But we got into our stride and by the end of the year, we were dab hands at Zoom meetings, unmuting ourselves during conference calls and sticking a wash on during lunch. Working from home has meant life admin – like nipping to the post office, switching your bank account or hoovering the stairs – has been so much easier to keep on top of. School drop offs and pick-ups have been less hurried, we’ve been able to keep up with our daily morning run and our barista skills have never been better.
Now many of us are looking to return to the office, even if only a couple of days a week. We can’t wait to chat to our colleagues properly, water our desk plants and get involved in projects face-to-face again… but will we be able to hold on to that work/life split we’ve carefully crafted during the work-at-home days? We looked at some ways to maintain that better balance even when you’re back in the office.
Negotiate permanent work-from-home days
It’s true that some roles are better done in the office, but for lots of people, working from home these past 18 months has proven that many, many roles can be done remotely without any fuss. If your employer has asked your to return to the office full time but you know you’ve worked perfectly well at home, ask if you can do 2/3 days in the office and the rest at home. Go armed with case studies of how you’ve managed traditionally face-to-face tasks from home and detail the measures you’ve taken to make your home working space professional and efficient.
Explore flexible hours
The pandemic has taught us many things, but one of the biggest lessons for employers is that giving people the freedom to manage their own time actually helps productivity, rather than hindering it.
Many employers are keeping work-from-home options in place but are also allowing employees to manage their hours – for example, you could log off from 3pm for school pick up then log back on at 6-8pm. For some businesses, an agreement that as long as you get your work done, you can manage your time is what works best.
Suggest staff support
Supporting staff’s mental and physical wellbeing is of the utmost importance – always, but particularly right now. Many people will be ‘returning to real life’ without feeling totally ready for it, and the shift from pandemic life is pretty major.
Many employers are improving their mental health support for employees – introducing mental health days, where staff can take days off when they’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious, is a great way to offer tangible support.
Rebuild your relationships
One thing we have missed during the work-from-home era is social interaction with colleagues – working from home can mean sitting at a desk all day long, with no one to prompt you to take a break, bring you a cuppa or go for a quick head-clearing walk with. Working from home can be pretty insular and those social occasions that break up the working day – a cake brought out for someone’s birthday, a long lunch with your fave co-worker, after-work drinks at the pub round the corner – add balance to our lives, too.
If you are returning to the office sometime soon, prioritising your relationships with your colleagues will help ease you back in to office life. Go out for a team lunch each week, have regular meetings that mix work and non-work updates and bring people together as often as possible.
