Back to the office!

[Yassy S]

How has COVID impacted your work / life balance? 

I know for me personally it’s been a double edged sword - on one hand it’s been great being at home; I can get so much more personal stuff done whilst working from home like putting on a load of laundry or prepping meals in between meetings but at the same time I find myself logging on as soon as I wake up and doing an hour of work before I get out of bed or logging on after dinner and sending “just a few emails” at night. 

I’ve slowly been going back to the office and have noticed on days I’m in the office I have a much cleaner break between work and personal hours. When I’m not at work I don’t read emails or reply to messages but at the same time by the time I get home in the evening I’m too tired to do anything other than eat and sleep. 

I’d be interested to hear others experiences and any tips you have on maintaining a work / life balance these days. 

I’ve personally set boundaries on when I will and won’t check emails / chats etc. - nothing before 7:30 and nothing after 21:00. Whilst this may not seem like a boundary to some, it’s a step in the right direction for me (someone who would regularly log on at 5am!!).

What are you doing to maintain a work / life balance? 

[Avalon]

I used to think I was less productive working from home - always fititng personal jobs around work like putting some washing on or walking the dogs at lunchtime. But recently, after having a couple of in person customer meeting and a few days back in the office, I realise I am just as productive at home, just in a different way. The travel time and set up required when visiting customers is significant and something I had completely forgotten about during the Covid pandemic. Working from home means I seamlessly switch between 4 or 5 projects a day which just wouldn't have happened previously. I also utilise the two hours a day I used to spend commuting. So overall, I am actually just as productive! For me, I think I would prefer a hybrid way of working going forward, with 2 or 3 days a week in the offie/with customers and some focused days working from home. 

It's really tricky to balance work with personal life when WFH. Who has any tips? I go for a walk every morning and evening and try to only look at my laptop between those times, so there is a clear distinction. It's hard to motivate myself to do this when it's raining though!

 

 

 

[Iain]

I think this is actually a really interesting topic, and the way that Covid has forced working habits to change so suddenly is going to be fascinating to look back on in a few years' time - possibly slightly less fascinating to be living through it!

Personally I have spent most of my career travelling to client site on a Monday, usually staying in a hotel until Thursday and working from home on Fridays. Then in March 2020, we were sent home on a Tuesday, and I've not been back to an office since.

I can't say I miss it at all. Looking back I wonder how many hours I wasted driving on motorways or sitting on trains that could have been used productively (i.e. sleeping!).

I can get just as much done when I'm at home, and some things work better virtually rather than in person. I'm spending more time with my wife, keeping up with household chores, I'm always in for parcel deliveries, the coffee is better at home, I'm eating more healthily instead of restaurants/takeaways three nights a week, I can work in jeans rather than wearing a suit, and my cat is loving having me home all the time.

I think the plan going forward is for occasional client-site work at the beginning of a project, workshops and whatever, and then remote work beyond that. We've all seen and helped prove that projects can go-live successfully while working remotely - no reason it can't work in the future.

[Grace Barrington]

@Iain that's really interesting - do you think that WFH has impacted the way you deliver your work? Or do you not notice any difference from not being in-person with your team/clients/wider company? 

 

 

[Yassy S]

@Grace Barrington love the question and would be interested to hear your thoughts as well @Iain - I know for me, I've found it more challenging developing relationships with customers. Whilst I love working from home and the things that gives us, I do miss the rapport you build with customers when you go for a drink after an all day workshop or the chats you have while waiting for coffee in breaks. 

[Iain]

@Grace Barrington - I don't think it's really impacted my deliveries thus far. I always used to work from home on Fridays, along with the rest of my project team, so I don't think it's been too much of a change to do that full time. Of course, I say that as a technical consultant, rather than somebody involved in solution architecture or contracts or whatever, so client interactions are usually "here's what I've done, what do you think?" or "what issues have you found while testing?". I can imagine more personable roles are more challenging remotely, but I think we can all agree - not impossible!

 

@Yassy S - I think I was fortunate that my big, multi-year SAP implementation project during the pandemic started in 2019, so I had a few months on client site getting to know people before switching to remote work, which was pretty much a pick-up-where-we-left-off situation (with some additional babies/dogs in the background of calls).

Since that project ended in early 2021, I've done a number of smaller projects that have been quite client-facing and every one has been a little different. I couldn't tell you the names of the people I worked with in October last year because I never got to know them, but I could tell you the life story of the lady I worked with on a government COVID project in Spring 2021 - we made an effort to talk non-work things, had virtual drinks together on a Friday afternoon and basically suffered together, which usually forms relationships!

 

[Kyron]

From all the polls and conversations I have seen on LinkedIn, It seems that most people enjoy a mix of the office and WFH. (including me...)

Back when WFH became a big thing that everyone had to adapt to, I hated it. I wasn't interacting with anyone and just working on a laptop around my house, not ideal! However, I have now geared up with a monitor and a desk and I'm loving it. I work from home all the time now and yes I don't interact with people as much but I can do more before and after work because I don't have the commute, and I can eat at my desk (sorry for those who don't like an 'al desko'). In the office I find I don't really take a break either but now I will do things around the house, go to the gym or take the dogs for a walk- which definitely puts me in a better mood. 

Now I have the option, I think I might end up going back to the office a couple days a week, and do the rest WFH.  

[Valentina Beltran]

Agree @Kyron - hybrid definitely seems like the best balance for most people!

In my case, I started my role in Feb 2021 and I feel like I've been enjoying and learning so much more since coming back into the office a few days a week, going to client site a few times, and socialising with my team and getting to know others around the business. I do feel that particularly for people who are just starting out their careers being in the office environment and having face-to-face interactions is invaluable for developing skills needed and establishing a good network etc., and think its really important for senior teams to not forget that if they want to develop younger talent.

@Yassy S I do feel that WFH actually gives me a better work/life balance. I hear a lot of people say they find it hard to switch off, and although I get this sometimes, generally I do find it easier to set a plan/list for the day and stick to it, rather than getting distracted in the office.

[James W]

I definitely much prefer being back in the office! Even just speaking to random people in the office is so much nicer than 4 walls in a flat all day. 

How is everyone trying to find the balance? 

[SophieSharples]

@Valentina Beltran I completely agree with you there on the importance of face to face for those new to roles. It's how you really build those deeper relationships with colleagues and customers, and I do believe it helps with learning. Shadowing opportunities, real time answers to questions as they happen, easier to build real life experience and gain better understanding of how customer businesses operate by being able to see it in the flesh on site visits. 

Personally, I love WFH. I have built up a great network of people where I live in a relatively short space of time, so it ensures that I get my daily fix of social interactions. I love having the extra time instead of a commute, and also I get my evenings back instead of travelling between customers. On the flip side, it means when I do have the opportunity to go to the office (which is around 6hrs away from my home), I'm really appreciative of the time I spend with colleagues, and I enjoy it that much more than I would needing to go every day/week. My trips there are much more worthwhile and efficient for the tasks I have to complete in the time I've allocated to the office.