WHEN HOME WORK GETS HARD

Working from home? Feeling adrift? You’re not alone. Or maybe you are and that’s the problem.

The commute may be a doddle, the hours are more flexible and you can get more done. But factor in kids, poor working space and a lack of connection and it may not be all that.

We might be struggling to reconcile ourselves to the fact that our workplaces are not only empty but no longer exist, (employers use the word hibernation but like the family tortoise in the airing cupboard, the term doesn’t always result in a good outcome).

But it’s more than that. An experiment by Stanford Professor of Economics Nicholas Bloom’s, in which half the staff of China’s largest travel agent spent nine months based at home, and the other half in the office, saw 13 percent higher productivity among home workers. Yet at the end of the experiment, half chose to return to the office, lacking opportunities to collaborate,

missing social company and feeling lonely and depressed at home.

If it stifles innovation, it seems enforced working from home doesn’t bode well long term for wellbeing either. A survey of 500 home workers in lockdown by the Institute for Employment revealed physical strain from hunching over laptops on kitchen tables, while a fifth said they felt lonely and isolated.

Laura is a counsellor and mum of three children between 11 and 18. Working from home meant no more leaving work two minutes later than would get her to school on time.

But now she’s yearning for the camaraderie of being in a room with colleagues. “It’s most evident after an intensive session with a client. Normally we’d come together with a colleague to debrief and allow time to reflect. It can feel very strange.”

The NHS website offer tips on working from home. One is to be kind to yourself – remember, this is an unusual situation and things will not feel normal.

Nicholas Bloom’s personal experience as a working from home dad says it’s all fine two or three days a week, in a dedicated room with proper equipment, broadband and no kids around. An army of homeworkers already know that…

Normally we’d come together with a colleague to debrief and allow time to reflect. It can feel very strange.

TIPS

Tips to help you work from home are available on the NHS website. They include setting and sticking to routine, taking breaks, making a dedicated workspace and staying in touch with colleagues.

nhs.uk: search '7 simple tips to tackle working from home'