Achieving a Work-Life Balance amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
David Stern
As the COVID-19 pandemic forces millions to stay home, remote working has become the modus operandi of businesses. Find out how to strike the perfect balance!
The global pandemic has led to disruption in the entire world. Our ‘normal lives’ were kept aside within days as countries across the globe implemented strict lock down measures and enforced order to stay-at-home. Yet education and work did not cede or stop as our ‘normal’ can to a staggering halt. How could it? No one to become jobless with no way to support themselves financially. And so the industries which employ hundreds of millions of people were abruptly shifted online as businesses tried to adapt to the ‘new normal.’
Immediately, we saw a rise in debates about the online surveillance and monitoring employees undergo at the hands of employers. How much work should employees be expected to put in if they are confined to their homes? Especially because the conditions within each household vary and disruptions during work hours are expected to occur.
Of course, in the midst of this, maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life may seem like a challenging task. Today, we have put together a couple of pointers to make this challenge more manageable for you.
Set Strict Ground Rules
Working at home will be interrupted by some disturbances. Establishing a set of rules that every member of the household has to follow during work hours is going to help avoid all the little disruptions, which eventually affect your productivity.
If other members of your family have work/studies going on at the same time, then the ground rules can be set up after taking every stakeholder’s input. This will ensure that your rules respect everyone’s space and maintain boundaries. Furthermore, having a set of ground rules that everyone agrees with will only them more likely to be adhered to.
Schedule and Take Regular Breaks
Just like at the office, when you would get up for a quick stretch every few minutes, it is essential to take a breather while working from home. Working from home, however, presents a unique case whereby you can take a physical and mental break. Within your ground rules, create some free slots of time
for lunch breaks where everyone takes a much-needed break together and interacts with each other. This can prove to be surprisingly refreshing.
Face-to-face contact is essential, and while you may miss your work buddies, giving your eyes some rest from looking at screens for hours on end is crucial. Plus, pacing your breaks over the day allows you to be sharp and alert at all times.
If you are a working parent/set of working parents, then depending on the age of your children, you will also need to carve out time during the day to provide them with attention. At this stage, your employer can be brought into consideration, and your works hours should be given greater flexibility to allow you to provide the attention your children deserve.
Do Not Go Overtime Regularly
Once your (new) schedule has been figured out, make sure you stick to it. If there is an hour allotted to the lunch break, do not exceed it. Suppose your shift is supposed to end at 6.30 pm, clock out by 6.45 pm at most. Over-doing anything will only make it difficult for you to manage your time in the long run, and sticking to the time will help you maintain a better overall balance between your work, your family, and taking time off for personal reasons!
As the COVID-19 pandemic forces millions to stay home, remote working has become the modus operandi of businesses. Find out how to strike the perfect balance!
The global pandemic has led to disruption in the entire world. Our ‘normal lives’ were kept aside within days as countries across the globe implemented strict lock down measures and enforced order to stay-at-home. Yet education and work did not cede or stop as our ‘normal’ can to a staggering halt. How could it? No one to become jobless with no way to support themselves financially. And so the industries which employ hundreds of millions of people were abruptly shifted online as businesses tried to adapt to the ‘new normal.’
Immediately, we saw a rise in debates about the online surveillance and monitoring employees undergo at the hands of employers. How much work should employees be expected to put in if they are confined to their homes? Especially because the conditions within each household vary and disruptions during work hours are expected to occur.
Of course, in the midst of this, maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life may seem like a challenging task. Today, we have put together a couple of pointers to make this challenge more manageable for you.
Set Strict Ground Rules
Working at home will be interrupted by some disturbances. Establishing a set of rules that every member of the household has to follow during work hours is going to help avoid all the little disruptions, which eventually affect your productivity.
If other members of your family have work/studies going on at the same time, then the ground rules can be set up after taking every stakeholder’s input. This will ensure that your rules respect everyone’s space and maintain boundaries. Furthermore, having a set of ground rules that everyone agrees with will only them more likely to be adhered to.
Schedule and Take Regular Breaks
Just like at the office, when you would get up for a quick stretch every few minutes, it is essential to take a breather while working from home. Working from home, however, presents a unique case whereby you can take a physical and mental break. Within your ground rules, create some free slots of time
for lunch breaks where everyone takes a much-needed break together and interacts with each other. This can prove to be surprisingly refreshing.
Face-to-face contact is essential, and while you may miss your work buddies, giving your eyes some rest from looking at screens for hours on end is crucial. Plus, pacing your breaks over the day allows you to be sharp and alert at all times.
If you are a working parent/set of working parents, then depending on the age of your children, you will also need to carve out time during the day to provide them with attention. At this stage, your employer can be brought into consideration, and your works hours should be given greater flexibility to allow you to provide the attention your children deserve.
Do Not Go Overtime Regularly
Once your (new) schedule has been figured out, make sure you stick to it. If there is an hour allotted to the lunch break, do not exceed it. Suppose your shift is supposed to end at 6.30 pm, clock out by 6.45 pm at most. Over-doing anything will only make it difficult for you to manage your time in the long run, and sticking to the time will help you maintain a better overall balance between your work, your family, and taking time off for personal reasons!