Getting Good at WFH
A Women in Public Affairs guest blog from Leadership Coach Lindsay Paterson
25 March 2020
Stuck at home? It’s harder than it seems, isn’t it? Colleagues, kitchen chat, the general admin of a working day in the office, and even the daily commute give structure, a rhythm and some fun to the working day. People working from home over an extended period for the first time can really feel quite adrift, and it’s completely normal to feel that way.
What are the most common issues for people and what’s to be done about them? Here’s my tuppence-worth.
Loneliness
Online chat is not the same as face-to-face contact. Even seeing people pass in the street boosts our mood. We look at what they’re wearing, how they carry themselves, what their mood seems to be – and that distracts us from the whirring of our own minds. Being in your house all day and all night makes it hard to get that serotonin boost that we get from contact with other people.
What to do about it? Video calls. It’s a no-brainer, but we’re just not in the habit of using one-to-one video calls for work. Largely because it can be disruptive in an open plan office. But if your flat mate doesn’t mind (or has noise cancelling headphones) use video calling as much as possible with your colleagues. They probably feel exactly the same as you do and will welcome it. Find out whether they’re open to it and text each other before you go on screen to be sure of no awkward incidents.
If you’re a leader of a team, try to do a video call every day with the team, or short one-to-ones if that’s feasible. People can get the wrong end of the stick on email and when they are already feeling isolated and don’t have a team around them to support them. It can heighten the risk of misunderstanding and people have a greater opportunity to brood. On video, you can make sure that doesn’t happen.
Missing the buzz of an office
Sometimes people find it hard to cope with silence. For the type who works best in a café or a lively office, silence can be deafening– and their brains go into overdrive. But there is help at hand – the free Coffitivity app replicates the sound of a busy café, giving you the background noise you need to be able to focus, and to keep your brain separated from the, sometimes weighty, sound of silence.
Missing the gym?
Fear not, Joe Wicks has come to the aid of the nation, with 30 minute PE classes at 9am every morning. On the first morning of school closure, 800,000 people joined in on You Tube. Post your positions in front of the telly and you’ll lose your sense of loss for your group workouts. And if you can’t make 9am, they’re online for you to take advantage of later.
Feeling anxious and uncertain?
We all are, and it’s not surprising. It is uncertain, and it is scary. However the reality is that there’s not one single thing we can do to change that. The outcome is out of our control, so it’s better to focus on the things we can control rather than the things we can’t. Those things include our own choices and our own reactions.
It helps a lot to focus on today’s challenges and treats and to keep bringing our thoughts back to them. How to do that? Notice, acknowledge, let go, refocus. It takes practice, but it works. Our brains are able to change and we have control over that process. It’s like going to the gym, the more work you put in, the more resilient your brain will become. Another tactic is to write a note every night of all the good things that happened. These can be mundane (‘I finished that task’) to fabulous (‘I made a difference to someone’s life’) and everything in between. Keep it up and you will reduce the negative bias that your brain has naturally.
Can’t stop working?
It’s hard to bring an end to a working day when there is no change. Nothing to leave, no coat to put on. It’s really important to address this one. Yes, you can work all the time, but it’s not what you would do if you were going into the office. Plan an end to the day. A cheering thing is to set up a video call with a series of friends (or lots together) at 6.30pm (or whenever your optimum time is). It’s cheering for everyone. You’ll be more motivated. You’ll work harder to get everything done before the call and you’ll be helping a fellow human. If you have kids, they’ll do this job for you.
Time to fill?
Some evenings no one will be available and that’s just how it is, but your evening may yawn before you in a challenging way. Go for a run (cover your mouth while you run to protect others), learn a language on Duolingo, sign up for an online course (many are free at the moment), take a virtual tour of the V&A with a friend or have a Netflix party. Houseparty, the app, has quizzes and games for up to 6 people simultaneously. Learn a musical instrument. Read a book you always wanted to read. It’s all good, but it’s important to make a date that you have to stick to. Reduce the friction of getting it done – sign up to something that sends reminders at a set time. We are quick to not do things when there’s something in the way. The trick is to make sure that there’s nothing in the way. Or get a friend to call you to ask if you did it - that works.
Leadership
If you lead a team or an organisation, your job is to make sure the work gets done, but your job at this time is really to make sure that the people who look to you stay motivated. Group video calls at the beginning and end of the day, joining in with the group chat, being clear about your expectations (particularly that your expectation is NOT that people work all the time) are all vital. They will look to you to set the tone. If you set a communal, connected, collaborative tone, they will too and they will be more motivated and more productive as a result. It’s on you, it really is. You might be feeling a bit lost yourself, but now is the time to put the team first and make sure that they can continue to do what the business needs from them.
Conclusion
This is a time to be human. It’s the human leaders and the human businesses which will ride this one out. It’s time to drop our guard, show people our cats and dogs, our children, our living rooms and the art on our walls. Above all, show compassion and do as you would be done by. When this is all over, business will be better for many people and we will have learned that humanity goes a long way in a crisis. If anyone needs help, I am happy to chat, listen and support. I’m only human.
Lindsay Paterson is a leadership coach with a background in public affairs, the law and government. She worked from home in France for nearly 10 years and learned this stuff the hard way.