Working Virtually is Not One-Size-Fits-All
In 2020, millions of people around the world were forced to work from home for the first time during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, as we shift to 2021, the virtual reality we’ve experienced isn’t going away.
Are you "Zoomed Out" yet? Do you feel the pressure of back-to-back meetings, the disconnect from clients and colleagues, the struggle to keep your WiFi connected? These are all symptoms of "Zoom Fatigue" stress behavior!
Even before our worlds were turned upside down, surveys repeatedly showed that 80% of individuals wanted to work from home some of the time. Families sheltered in place certainly gave us a fast forward experience into this new way of life and work.
What many people don’t realize, however, is that working remotely is very different than working in an office.
Many of the rhythms and routines that help you thrive in the office don’t work as well at home. You can’t just pop into someone’s office for a conversation but your kids can waltz into your office and your Zoom meeting at any time.
If you’re going to thrive as a remote worker, it’s important to learn a new set of rules and strategies, such as:
Being productive in a totally different environment than you’re used to
Knowing what things to focus on and what to let go of
This new reality may be stressful, so how do you manage your stress and help colleagues manage theirs?
Twenty years ago, only a small percentage of people worked remotely. Fast forward to the 2020 pandemic which has forced the way we work to fundamentally change.
Pre-pandemic:
43% of Americans work from home on occasion.
5.2% of Americans work from home full-time.
82% of professionals would like to work from home once a week.
52% of professionals desire to work from home a minimum of three days per week.
Post-pandemic prediction:
Our best estimate is that 25-30% of the workforce will be working-from-home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.
Kate Lister, President of Global Workplace Analytics
Access the results of the global work-from-home experience survey report here:
It’s important to know how we are responding to this virtual existence by assessing what our needs/motivators are and what may be pushing our stress buttons. There are certainly situational events that may cause stress that vary from person to person but to recognize the stress behaviors in ourselves and others and respond with the appropriate support, can make all the difference in the world – whether virtual or not.
Below are the 4 Remote Worker Stress Types and their respective support actions:
Read more about how to encourage diversity of thought by utilizing the insights from the Birkman Method.
The challenge for virtual workers and teams is the lack of presumed engagement which often leads to miscommunication.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you transition to remote work during this time of ongoing change:
Check in regularly with your team, your clients and your boss
Make a schedule but allow for flexibility
Manage stress before it manages you
Give yourself regular hours to be “in” the office
Get up, get dressed and get going!
Schedule a complimentary coaching call here to brainstorm ways to help you manage these new situations – access our calendars here.
Which of the stress behaviors mentioned above have you seen in yourself or in others?