With many of us working from home nowadays, we have asked our consultants to tell us how they have coped with the challenges this brings first-hand.
Like most people, I have spent time bouncing between working from home and the office.
I’ve worked full-time in an office for 2 and a half years previously, so it’s certainly been a different experience for me working in a hybrid environment. I could count on one hand how many days I’ve WFH in the past, as it was something I never saw the point in doing personally. My thought process was that I go to work... to work, and I go home not to work. Combining the two was alien to me.
Challenges
The main challenge for me was exactly that adapting. I carried on waking up when I normally would, which meant I found myself in front of the laptop a lot earlier than I usually would. I quickly changed this and started going for a walk in the morning to ensure I wasn’t glued to my screen for too much of the day. Lunchtimes were different too, as when in the office, this is quite a social time for us. Making or warming up food, comparing dishes, playing pool or going for a walk was our usual routine. WFH, however, I am making a bit of food before eating it over my laptop and definitely not having an hour or the usual socialising. Again, I changed this and came away from the screen to spend time in the garden.
Positives
Despite these few challenges, WFH is extremely productive and something I will be doing more of moving forward. My productivity goes through the roof, and I definitely get more done at home than I would in the office. Calls with clients and candidates were more relaxed and engaging without the hustle and bustle of the office noise in the background. I was more focused and was able to plan my day by the hour and stick to it most of the time. Lunch was healthier than ever, and contact with colleagues and managers was the same, if not more than usual thanks to Microsoft Teams.