This episode is a real life reflection on the COVID WFH experience we have had, as well as a 'book review' from a book called Remote ‘Office Not required’ - Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson. We love audio books for multitasking... and Jackie told me I had to listen to this one - she said' you really won't believe how forward thinking this book is given it was written in 2013. We realised so many of the benefits and challenges learned thru our recent WFH experience were already explored by the authors years earlier in a different industry (Tech ).
Work from home can work and has huge wellness benefits. Read or listen to Remote to hear more about why and how this could work for you, your team and your company. Work from home isn’t just a crisis management solution for 2020, but its an essential wellness initiative!
4 Main Wellness take aways;
1. Productivity and job satisfaction
- how do you know if people are really going to get the job done? You know because you measure outputs, not bums on chairs!
- the importance of setting reasonable expectations, communication of availability of all team members
- healthy boundaries - ‘did I do a good day’s work? Then walk away! Don't work all hours of the day because your office is your home and vs versa.
2. Time
WFH is a great way to get time back in your day, between commuting and just packing a lunch, getting dressed (fully!) - you can shave hours off your day...and just get on with the work!
3. Socialisation
- we will loose our office culture if no one is in the office.... actually the research shows that this doesn't go away - just make connecting intentional.
- still go for coffee with colleagues and friends
- still get out for a walk
- and still hold office socials and office meetings - it just doesn't need to be all day , everyday!
4. Ergonomics
Ensure that you have a proper space dedicated to work, with a good chair and a monitor that is eye level. If you need to move around thru the day, do that too - best to not be in one spot for hours anyway.
