All change - On the Road Again

For the last eight years I have worked remotely. I had a little desk in the corner of my living room (or my treadmill and ironing board!). My experience was that there were good days and bad days, like there are with any role. I wasn't keen of the perception of being a keyboard warrior because I love talking to people about H&S in the workplace. So, I made sure I was visible, whether it on a screen via Teams or Zoom. I had opportunities to visit colleagues at their workplaces across the region in one role. In another, I had FOMO (fear of missing out) on a regular basis but I always felt included, especially whilst working at SafetyCulture .

In my new role at ALL.SPACE , I'm back in the office and back on the commute. Not a long one and after a couple of weeks in I've already scoped out the best route in and out. But I won't lie, it's been a little bit of a shock to the system.

• Getting out of bed earlier so I can be smartly dressed head to toe everyday and not relying on tracksuit bottoms and a Zoom make-up filter.
• Remembering that the roads are busier at rush hour and everyone is exactly that - in a rush. I'm not a slow driver and I do love my car, but flooring it to overtake one person isn't going to get you to work any faster.
• Becoming behind on the housework. No more just chucking a load of washing on or quickly flicking the hoover round in-between meetings. The back-log sits there and is potentially a weekend job.
• Eating later than I'd like. I've read it's better to eat your evening meal before 6pm but now I'm eating about 7:30pm maybe 8pm if I can bring myself to do some form of exercise.

However, I pride myself on being an adaptable person and this is another challenge to adapt to. A method I use is instead of focusing on all negative points I've just listed is I focus on these positive bullet points.

• My teenager girls have new responsibilities. I'd realsied that working at home they'd relied on me to do most things for them. They now understand that's not possible and they've organically took on responsibilities in the house - one cooks and cleans and the other does the washing.
• During the commute I get to listen to more music. I'd forgotten how much I used to listen to the radio when I used to commute before. I've missed Chris Moyles and the Radio X team on Global .
• I have water cooler moments again. Well, waiting for the kettle to boil moments. Being able to have impromptu conversations that could lead onto innovative ideas and the ability to obtain casual feedback which will support me to succeed in this new role.
• Making more use of time when I am at home. It's easy to stay in bed for that extra 30 minutes and have a leisurely breakfast but I could fit in some exercise (I will be honest I haven't got there yet but I'm strongly thinking about it!)
• I appreciate the weekend more! Working remotely the weekends just arrived. Now there is a definite distinction between work and my time, especially with the little desk having been removed from my living room. I've more space again and I plan more things to do with my friends and family.

I can see the best and worst of both working situations. I understand the need of hybrid and flexible working depending where and what your personal situation is. It does seem like I'm sitting on the fence and I think I am. The main reason I'm sharing my story is I'd like you think about how you embrace your adaptability. Push yourself out of your comfort zone every now and then, focus on the positive and not the negative aspects of change. It makes adapting to change a lot easier.