The coronavirus pandemic has altered life and work in many ways. However, businesses need to thrive, life has to go on, we ought to live well. Wellness in remote working is as crucial as wellness in a physical office structure.
Health and wellness as we all know are a part of the basic necessities of life; therefore we need to prioritize it.
However, looking at how companies have shifted norms to working from home, a lot of employees might not stick to their usual routine intentionally or unintentionally. The requirement to work fully remotely is swift and unexpected for most companies. This has left some managerial boards worried about workflow effectiveness and employee productivity
Let’s take a critical look at five ways to empower wellness while we work remotely:
Table of Contents
Have a Daily Routine
If you had a daily routine prior to the pandemic, like most of us, just maintain it. Make sure you set a convenient time to start work.
We all know the usual office setting comes with a lunch break, do well to give yourself a break if you work for some time. During the break, you can decide to relax or have some fun activities that will destress your mind. Don’t let work bleed over into your personal time or vice versa. You can decide to not work during the weekends so you have a quality “me” time. You need to be self-disciplined if you lose track of time; you might end up not doing anything productive.
Check-in on your colleagues
The usual office morning greetings should not stop. Maintaining our distance socially does not mean we should stop being nice to our colleagues. At least, say hi to a few people from your department and out of your department. It could be a minute phone call interaction, a text message, or an e-mail. This goes a long way to boost one’s mental health as well. Generally, humans feel loved and cared for when they are shown attention and concern.
Self-Care is Crucial
Self-motivation is as important as self-love; do both. Practicing self-care is you showing love to yourself. With normal office work in a physical structure, the most difficult part of the job is journeying to and fro work. It is very stressful; hence remote work reduces the workload. While you work remotely, get a time for yourself to engage in some personal reading, taking a stroll, or watching a favorite TV show. This helps to build your emotional physical and emotional help.
“By striving to improve the [emotional] health of employees organisations will realise many benefits through reduced costs, improved loyalty, and greater productivity.”
– Dr. Kristin Finkbeiner, Health Coach of Zevo Health.
Schedule workouts
When you create a schedule, let the flexibility be to your advantage. Schedule your workouts as you engage in meetings. Put your schedule down in a scheduler or simply write them down before you start work. You can also decide to arrange meetings with colleagues via phone while you are working out at the gym. Killing two birds with one stone it is. Great huh? Definitely! It can save you a lot of time to do other stuff.
Have a separate workspace from home space
It is crucial to have a designated workspace to help you stay focused while you work remotely. These separate areas put you in different moods during the day; you’re able to switch mentally from work mode to home mode. Even if you have a smaller space, try to create an “office” within.
Covid 19, though a worldwide “enemy” to our economy and organisations, it has taught us a lot when it comes to time management in the work setting. When life is back to the new normal, I believe certain work meetings held will be scrapped and turned into e-mails. Most people too would have learned the skill of working alone and independently: this will as well improve teamwork.
Further Reading
Cheapest Places to Live as a Digital Nomad
Why & How to Set Up a Home Office for Remote Work
