Unexpectedly Adjusting to Working From Home? Here’s What We’ve Learned...

The UK has moved into the ‘delay’ phase of fighting Covid-19 Coronavirus after an emergency meeting of the Cobra Committee in Downing Street last week. While the government has decided NOT to ban all public gatherings yet, it has called upon us to self-isolate should we suspect relevant symptoms. Over the next few weeks, many people will be forced to stay at home, whether due to self-isolation; to look after dependents as schools close; or because their own workplaces have shut down temporarily.

The government has put in place emergency measures to support those who are sick or forced to stay at home, including amendments to statutory sick provisions for those who are ill, and easier access to benefits for those who must self-isolate or whose employers are forced to shut down work places.

But what of those of us who are able to work from home, or who are being asked to do so by their employers? Some offices have already chosen to close and there are workers up and down the country adjusting to life with a laptop at the dining table and coping with the dramatic changes that working from home brings.

We have sought, in this article, to support those living this scenario. 

As a distributed team working from home under normal circumstances, we count ourselves very lucky to be prepared for the changes in our working lives as a result of fighting a pandemic. We also have first hand experience of the benefits and challenges of working from home, and would like to share some of our learning to help those who have had this situation forced upon them.

Why listen to us?

Juggling Octopus was born under the stairs, grew into an office and grew up to be a distributed team. These transitions were made out of necessity and we’ve had a hell of a journey over the last twelve months. We hope that our learning can help some of you adapt to your current situation. 

Isolation

We were very aware from the outset that isolation would be a big issue to get right. We knew that we would have to provide an opportunity for regular get togethers and we scheduled in Wednesday team meetings at a location convenient to everyone.

We also made sure that we had software that would allow us to communicate in real time as well as function as a work collaboration tool.

However, as time went by, two things became apparent. The first was that the amount of time that we lost getting the whole team together was going to become a burden. As the weeks passed, one or more of us would be buried in our laptop at the table trying to meet a deadline instead of truly participating in the gathering. This totally defeated the object of the exercise.

The second was the realisation that the office environment is far more social than we had appreciated. Even if we were all heads down at our desk and merely grunted to one another from one day to the next, we had the choice to do so. We could make eye contact, express ourselves (or not) and look for feedback from others. We underestimated the loss of human contact from the daily commute (the guy you wave at everyday as you get out of your car; the bus driver you saw regularly or the people you bump into in the shared building kitchen).

So we discussed the problem and had a rethink. The experience was different for everyone; some had school runs or active social lives to balance the problem out, while others struggled more. One of our valued Octopi shared their experience, admitting “I don’t leave the house. I don’t have kids or dogs to walk…” so there could be days that went by without having a face to face conversation with anyone other than their partner.

In the current situation you are likely to be cut off from most contact for a while at least, with advice being to leave items on the doorstep and avoid even household members where possible.

The answer for us? A daily skype call! We abandoned the weekly meetings and took to having a video call at the same time every day. The difference was incredible. There was suddenly a reason to get out of pyjamas and brush hair. There was laughter and shared personal experiences EVERY day. We had human connection back again.

Do it from the beginning, trust us. If you haven’t got video calling set up in some format (Whatsapp only allowed 4 people which wasn’t enough for us; Facetime; Zoom, etc are all options) do it. 

And ask your team and your family and friends to do the same.

Collaboration

How often do you ask a question across the office? You probably even already knew the answer but the confirmation was reassuring.

We knew from the beginning that we would need to find the right software for the job, but the processes took some tweaking. We discovered that the Whatsapp group that we had set up was great for general ‘in the moment’ conversations, but that it was incredibly difficult to refer back to anything from an audit / accountability perspective.

We decided to try a relatively new software - Ayoa. This has worked perfectly for us, and we are still discovering it’s capabilities. Simply put, it allows you to have work-related conversations in a thread devoted to a particular project or client, tag your colleagues to get their attention while keeping the chat thread for easy referral.

The learning here was to keep conversations separate. Whatsapp has become an ideas-sharing and cheerleading conversation for us, while Ayoa is specific task-related conversation. This division in itself brought another learning curve: processes.

Is everyone working the same way? Because most of us worked in an office together, it was natural to bring those processes into the home office and maintain them (e.g., when x is complete, file is moved from a to b and reminder input into calendar for update in this way…). However, the challenge came when new team members were brought on board (a whole other topic - watch this space!) and we needed to pass those processes on.

The answer? Document everything! The time it takes to draw up a quick outline of a process is well worth the time saved by clearing up a Google Drive or Dropbox filing mess discovered weeks down the line. 

If you are going to be working from home, make sure everyone knows what is expected of them - what processes will have to change?

Work / Life Balance

This is a huge consideration, and perhaps the biggest - alongside isolation - to stay aware of when protecting your mental health. When we first made the transition to working remotely, we were all incredibly excited about the endless possibilities this flexibility would bring. We could do our 10am yoga classes, walk the dog, stay on top of housework, even have a siesta!

The reality - of course - was not so rosy. But it can be...

One of our Octopi describes how the lines became blurred when she was sitting at home in the evening, laptop on the floor next to her, feeling like she ought to be ‘doing something’. This urge to keep going is a downside of having a driven and conscientious team. Over the weeks, this particular Octopi discovered a way to switch the feeling off: “I used to use the laptop for browsing the internet in the evening, so I would drift constantly into work mode. Now I put it away and use my tablet for evening browsing. When my laptop is on my desk - that’s it, I’ve ‘gone home’”.

Another Octopi relates how it became apparent very quickly that any time used on non-work activity during ‘working hours’ would - of course - have to be taken back on evening and weekends. While it initially seems amazing to have that freedom, the reality is not so fun on a Sunday afternoon. So, after months of testing flexible waters, “I have reverted back to working my standard hours” she says, “knowing that I have flexibility in emergencies and when I really need it!”

But there are plus sides. How long does it take to put a load of washing in? Or empty the dishwasher? We have found that being at home CAN save you time at the weekend. One Octopi describes how she has saved time on her weekend chores by getting them done in the week on 5 or 10 minute breaks. Another said she uses those chores to move and stretch - resulting in a healthier physical state and the same freed up weekend time. Imagine no weekend washing!

If you find yourself stuck at home, make it work for you. What can you achieve in small bursts that don’t detract from your working responsibilities but - over the course of a week - can have a big impact on your weekend?

Focus

A big discussion amongst the Octopod Teams was around focus. Ideally, as several of our team mentioned, you need to carve out a quiet, dedicated space for yourself to work in. It’s fairly unlikely that if you are being asked to work from home unexpectedly that you have a lovely office space up and running and ready to sit in! But it’s not impossible to create. Our team members work in a myriad of different spaces, from offices to conservatories, to bedrooms and dining rooms. 

The official advice is NOT to work in your relaxing space, but ‘needs must’ sometimes. The key is to create a mental division somehow. Do you have space for a table or desk instead of sitting on your bed? Can you change the lighting or create a corner that you face instead of your bed? Can you prop up a whiteboard and create a pop-up office corner which you can put away at the end of the day? Anything that helps you mentally separate sleep from work. Whatever you do, DO NOT just grab your laptop and work from your bed.

Don’t get me wrong - we’ve done it. The beauty of working from home is you can have those duvet days when you need them - just don’t make it routine. 

There are many more distractions at home than in the office. One of our Octopi explains how he makes himself a list everyday of the things he wants to achieve and doesn’t divert from it. “If I’ve planned a few hours on the phone doing calling, I won’t check my emails until I’ve done it.” When you are working from home - alone - with no external triggers to jolt you back to reality - it is VERY easy to lose hours drifting on something you didn’t even intend to look at! 

If you have an Alexa or voice activated device - program in some reminders! There’s nothing more effective at bringing you back on track than a voice out of the blue stating “Octopus, are you doing what you should be doing? Get back on it!” or words of your choosing!

You will need to ask other members of the household to respect your space and time too. Put a sign up with ‘working hours’ and the behaviour you expect during that time, particularly if you have kids about (even well-meaning adults can offer too many cups of tea and interrupt your flow!). Make a game of it, ask kids or family members to make you signs for your office corner, or bring you an ‘end of work snack’ to mark the time you are now available again.

Random Tips:

A few other tips came up when we were discussing how we could help people working from home for the first time. One Octopus said he finds it useful to wear a shirt and tie when making professional calls! “Sitting in jeans and a T-shirt when doing laptop work is fine, but I like to feel professional when I talk to other professionals; I think it really makes a difference to the way I deliver what I have to say..”

Do you have pets? A few of our Octopi have cats and dogs and have found them more of a distraction than expected! The cat lovers explained how they had to keep cats in a separate room as they insisted on sitting on keyboards and trying to snuggle! Needless to say this was not conducive to a productive desk session, and a danger with drinks and hardware…

The dogs were not so keen to sit on laps, but barking can be a problem when you are making professional calls! While a benefit of being at home is being able to take delivery of items that you would normally struggle with (one of our Octopi is currently juggling house renovation and is living in ‘Piccadilly Circus’!) it can also be a nuisance if you have a noisy four-legged friend. We would recommend using an alternative delivery location (like an Amazon locker) or safe box outside your house to avoid this. 

The usual advice about carving yourself a space with a door you can close will also ward off loving, but untimely attention from your critters! (Don’t feel bad - they coped without you while you were in the office) You can always treat them to an extra walk or a cuddle at lunchtime.

Which brings us neatly onto food. Pluses and minuses of being at home for your lunchtime really depend on your normal habits. Some of us have found we eat more healthily as we don’t buy that chocolate bar from the shop… Others have found the opposite because they are tempted by treats in the cupboards they wouldn’t normally pack for work. Know thyself!

What we have all found is that we have saved time and money. No need to pre pack boxes the night before. If you weren’t that organised in the first place (ahem), you’ll be saving money on those shop / cafe / pub trips. Get organised (particularly if you have to work from home whilst self-isolating) and use an online shopping service at the beginning of the week so you have everything you PLAN to need.

Octopus Takeaways:

Working from home can be tough, especially if you are not prepared for it (as we found). But with a few key elements in place you can turn a challenge into an incredibly rewarding experience:

1. Have daily visual contact with colleagues and friends
2. Create a specific working space and ‘office hours’
3. Plan your day and use reminders
4. Ask household members to support you by respecting your plans and space
5. Choose and use software for specific purposes
6. Keep to your normal processes and decide what others you might need
7. Take advantage and use 10 minute ‘boogies’ to move your body and get household chores done
8. Don’t let food and pets become a distraction!

The Juggling Octopus Team went through this in the last 6 months. We are more than happy to talk to anyone who is concerned about enforced changes to their working model. 

Connect now and send a message; send us an email: [email protected] or talk to us on 01332 501101.