A New Meaning to Work-Life Integration
COVID-19 has brought many changes to daily life for much of the world. Initiatives such as social distancing and self-quarantining have been enacted by many governments in attempts to “flatten the curve.” This has forced health care systems and office spaces to mandate that employees work from home. For a lot of us, this is a drastic change to our daily routine and a major adjustment. The question is no longer “Would I be able to perform my job from home?” but instead “How can I be most efficient while working from home?” To help answer this question, consider the following tips.
1. Use your former commute time.
Commute times have decreased drastically (i.e., they have disappeared!). Unless you already live where you work, the lack of a commute will likely add anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours to your day. Capitalize on this extra time! This can take many forms, from finally starting a workout plan to reading recent journal publications – or perhaps a book (maybe for fun) – or finding something else you enjoy (new podcasts, craft time) or would like to learn to fill this time productively. Of course, a natural tendency might be to use this time to, well, work, but unless you have an upcoming deadline, try to avoid this, if possible. The separation between “work hours” and “home hours” is important but can get quite blurred when working remotely, which leads to the second tip.
2. Schedule worktime/meetings efficiently.
If your working hours are flexible, determine your times of highest productivity. If you are most productive in the morning, begin your day early, perhaps when you would have started your commute, and set your working hours from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are not quite a morning person, consider starting later in the morning to take advantage of your times of deep focus. Note that your working hours do not have to be consecutive (see tip 6).
On the flip side of the same coin, try to stick to your set working hours. Because your working quarters and living quarters are now quite seamless, the risk of work invading personal time (and vice versa) is very real. Sticking to your set working hours will ensure optimal productivity and help you develop a healthy work schedule.
3. Communicate!
Now that you have set your working hours, communicate this to others. In fact, communicate this to everyone. And communicate not only this but also everything, with everyone, constantly and consistently. Working remotely introduces many differences in how we communicate with colleagues and can lead to miscommunication. Face-to-face communication is not currently a luxury we can afford, yet e-mail does not afford many of the same conveniences, including immediate responses and the ability to interpret tone. Luckily, we live in an era of video conferencing and instant messaging. Capitalize on this technology! Schedule regular check-ins with your team/colleagues. Use HIPAA-compliant group messaging apps such as Skype to convey a message to the whole group during patient care activities, allowing all parties to respond and have their voices heard at once. In addition, although it can be exhausting, over-communicate in a single e-mail or message, when possible. It will pay off in the long run. Because coworkers can no longer stop by your office or normal chair on the unit you cover, thoroughly explain everything in concise detail, potentially including more information than normal to avoid misunderstandings.
4. Create an effective home “office” space.
As mentioned earlier, home and work are no longer clearly differentiated. You are now forced to face many new distractions you did not have to deal with before. These may include taking care of the kids, pets, or deliveries, just to name a few. Because of these new distractions, it is important to set boundaries between work and home. If it is possible to convert a spare room into a home office, this is highly encouraged. Many do not have this luxury, however, and have to get more creative. Some might convert a kitchen table into a desk, and others could find a corner of a bedroom to set up shop. Whatever your situation, try to ensure you have adequate lighting and Internet connectivity, with limited distractions. When designing your desk, keep video calls in mind and what you might look like on camera. Having adequate front-facing light and placing your camera at eye height or slightly higher will be crucial to help you look your best on video. Your camera is also likely a wide-view angle, so try not to get too close to the lens but still have your keyboard within reach (or invest in a second keyboard). Furthermore, try to avoid areas like the living room, where you will be tempted to turn on digital devices, and areas you find most comfortable while relaxing. Instead, save these spaces for “home” life, which can serve as a reward for a productive day at the “office.”
5. Prepare for video calls.
Video conference calls are likely becoming routine. For the most efficient and effective video calls, first physically prepare for the meeting. Make sure you have adequately prepared not only a professional, non-distracting workspace, but also yourself personally for the day’s work. You may be quite tempted to keep your video off while on these calls for fear of what your background looks like or, worse, what you look like on camera! However, try to be completely “present” during these calls, including being shown on-screen. This increases interpersonal communication as well as visibility. Most communication is nonverbal, and you will deny your team, as well as yourself, some potentially critical signs if you refuse to show yourself on-screen. In addition, showing yourself on-screen will provide that extra motivation to change from pajamas into work attire, which will also boost productivity. See tip 4 for how to look your best for your feature debut. Finally, if a meeting does not have an agenda, ask for one. You can even make your own agenda of items that you would like discussed. This goes back to tip 3 – communicate. Having this agenda, and sending it out with ample time to allow others to prepare, will help ensure the meeting stays on track and addresses everyone’s concerns.
6. Take breaks.
Even at your normal 9–5 office job, you likely take a couple of breaks throughout the day, in addition to lunch. Working from home does not mean you have to, or should, work through the entire day. It can be very easy to get wrapped up in a project or task, losing track of time. This is why it is critical to schedule not only working times, going back to tip 2, but also breaks throughout your day. Take advantage of daylight (and nice days) to go outside for a short walk (while practicing social distancing), take the dog to a nearby park, or do anything else that is relaxing to you (but try to make it productive as well, however you define it).
Now we are going to combine a few tips (tips 2, 5, and 6). Take breaks from video calls. They can be quite demanding and require considerable energy, which can decrease productivity. Block your calendar for at least 15–30 minutes after each video conference to unwind and debrief from the previous meeting. Consider instituting “meeting-free days,” if possible, to allow for deep focus on specific items on your to-do list that will require dedicated chunks of time.
7. Schedule virtual coffee/lunch/happy hours.
Finally, be sure to continue the camaraderie and fellowship you are used to in the office space. Just because you can no longer work from the office does not mean those informal office chats, outings, events, or lunches need to go dormant. Think of creative ways to continue engaging with your colleagues to continue cultivating these relationships. These can be regular or sporadic one-on-one meetings with someone you have not spoken with in a while or can include entire teams or departments. This tip can go hand in hand with tip 6! Coffee chat does not necessarily need to be about work, but instead, use it to learn more about your coworkers and teach them a few things about yourself in the process.
These 7 tips can help ease the transition from working in the office to working remotely while carrying on “business as usual.” There are several other things that can help with the transition, so find what works best for you and your team. Remember, we are all in this together and will get through it together. So, take advantage of your additional time with family and potentially more flexible work schedules, and be as productive as you can!
About the Authors:
Nicholas R. Nelson, Pharm.D. is a fellow in educational innovation and research at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Jordan M. Barkes, Pharm.D., BCPS is a PGY2 internal medicine resident at the Medical University of South Carolina.