The onset of the pandemic has posed so many limitations in the way of life that we know. It has also ushered in a lot of changes, both at home and in the workplace. Suddenly we found ourselves working from home, either from our home office or right from the comforts of our bed or our kitchen table. We’ve spent hours in Zoom or MS Teams meetings, and going to the office has become something we do only when there are important meetings that require face-to-face discussions.

Flexible working hours, being able to work even in your PJs, and being able to attend a meeting straight out of bed… Sounds like the dream, right? Or maybe not. Many of us have experienced this and have discovered the challenges of being in a hybrid working set-up, or a set-up where people work some days at the office and some days at home. From unexpected distractions to losing balance between personal and work life, these are just some woes we’ve heard from employees this past year.

How Do You Succeed in a Hybrid Work Setup?

There are some things you can follow to ensure that you remain healthy, stress-free, and that you will enjoy working in a hybrid work environment. Check out our three tips below:

Create a separate workspace at home

While working from your comfy bed or in the kitchen with the delicious aroma of home cooking wafting all around you seems like the perfect work-from-home set-up, it most often is not. Too much distraction, from your oh-so-luxurious sheets to the busyness in the kitchen, is counterproductive—you’ll find yourself either falling back asleep or getting caught up in the culinary frenzy.

The solution? Build a workspace in your home. Whether that’s a formal and enclosed home office or a corner in your living room or bedroom devoted to working, make sure you find a way to keep it separate from the day-to-day chaos in your home. Get a good office desk or upgrade to a standing desk. Invest in an ergonomic chair that will help you stay comfortable even if you sit in front of your computer for long hours.

Creating a workspace at home is helpful not only physically but also mentally. The moment you sit on your office chair and face your laptop, your brain switches to work mode, helping you focus on work and accomplish the tasks you’ve set to accomplish for the day. 

Get everyone involved

Your family will be thrilled that you’re staying home for the most part, especially if you have kids. However, they may not understand that you still need to work and focus on your office tasks during work hours. Therefore, it’s important to set expectations and to create some sort of ground rules at home.

Do you need to be working undisturbed at certain hours of the day?

Do you have online meetings during certain days and will need a quiet environment without the stereo blasting or the home theater playing in full volume in the background?

Explain these things to your family members so they understand and there won’t be any unmet expectations.

Know your situation and yourself

Are you a morning person who can accomplish a lot more work before the sun fully rises and while everyone is still in bed? Or are you a night owl whose creative juices flow more freely and abundantly at midnight while the world is already asleep?

Is your home usually crazy in the morning with kids running around? And is it perhaps more quiet in the afternoon while the kids take a nap?

If at all possible and if your manager permits, maximize your most productive hours to get more things done—less stress, less drama at home, and more tasks accomplished!

Be clear about expectations at work

Communication is most crucial in a hybrid work setup. Even if you report to work, say, three times a week, it might be times when your boss or teammates are working from home. Therefore, it’s important to keep communication lines open and ensure that all are clear when it comes to work expectations.

Are you expected to turn over a report on a weekly basis, at a given day and time?

Or, do you have a daily work submission schedule that you need to follow?

When working away from your colleagues and your boss, whether at home or in the office, it’s important to keep everyone abreast of each other’s progress and make sure that your boss knows you are being productive and getting work done. It’s helpful to clarify your measure of success in this setup so that you can be guided by that as you work.

Stay connected

… And not only with your friends, but with everyone. Keeping connections active in a hybrid work environment can be tough, and it’s even more difficult to build new ones.

With most communication happening over the phone or a videocall, there is danger for all communication to be transactional—giving work or receiving work. Keep the connection with your colleagues strong by connecting about things other than work. Ask about their family and their situation. If you can, set meetings for just catching up.

This will be helpful not only in keeping connections strong but also in keeping your sanity intact.

The hybrid work environment looks like it’s here to stay for a while even after the pandemic. And it can be a good thing for us and our family, if we are able to create the right and healthy conditions for thriving successfully in this setup. Try the tips we’ve outlined above and see if they work for you.

About Us

MotionGrey is a Canadian standing desk company that specializes in ergonomic furniture. We supply and install only the best quality standing desks and ergonomic chairs in the country.

Our products are designed with wellness as the focal point. From our electric standing desks to our office and gaming chairs, we deliver best value by putting your health, safety, and comfort as top priority. Boost your creativity and level up work performance. We want you to create great outcomes so we’re providing you only the best tools to make them possible.
 
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