Telecommuting can easily lead to a feeling of loneliness, as you are left alone at home in front of your desk, without being able to communicate directly with your colleagues. It is important to understand that loneliness is an emotion that comes from thoughts like "I am alone". The more we think about it, the more we isolate ourselves, and the more we lose the reflex to create contact, which exacerbates the feeling of loneliness that we can feel.
To combat isolation, you should try to keep in touch with your work environment, i.e. your colleagues. For example, by turning on your camera during videoconference meetings, or by exchanging with each other about the telecommuting experience.
A video conference call can be an opportunity for informal exchanges at the beginning or end of the meeting, but you can also organize coffee or lunch in zoom, to check in with your colleagues and continue to create a link despite the context. It is up to you to cultivate this link, and you should remember that others may also feel lonely, so don't hesitate to call them to take stock, to send them messages to ask questions, despite the distance.
Mistake 2: Thinking that our employees are on their own when teleworking
Casablanca brick pink trousers, white chimney collar
You need to be aware that your employees are as are as lost as you are when faced with the need to reorganize. If you are a leader and you have to manage a team, you have a role of communicator, of guide. You have to rethink your leadership in telecommuting, and there is no magic formula! It is up to you to find the tools that work best for you and your team.
Change is perceived as a danger by the brain, and we often start by resisting it. This is what leads us to accept a "cheap" telework, i.e. to make this new way of working responsible for all the ills (lack of communication with the teams, lack of visibility on performance, etc.). To counter this effect, we need to focus on all the positive aspects of telework before we can better understand its benefits!
Take the time to list the positive points of telecommuting for you; maybe the time saved on commuting allows you to spend more time with your family, or the liberating effect of the camera allows you to express yourself more easily!
Mistake 3: Not planning your day
Your brain identifies being at home as a time to relax/not work. This is what makes it harder to concentrate than in an office.
Organize your time: It is essential to organize your day, with a beginning, an end and moments of break, in order not to fall into two pitfalls: to overflow on the moments of breaks, or on the contrary to be prone to procrastination.It is important to organize your relaxation moments, because they will help you to delimit the moments of work and the moments of relaxation. Turn off the screens, go for a walk, read a book; to really decompress and stay efficient.
Organize your space: To remain efficient, you must also have a physical space dedicated to work; a tidy desk, in a quiet room, to avoid too many distractions.
Take the time to get dressed: Starting your day by taking the time to get dressed is also very important, in the sense that it allows the brain to realize that you are going to work. Even when telecommuting, personal branding counts, and you will feel better than staying all week in your pajamas! :)
To listen to the entire episode of the "Ambitious Woman" Podcast, click here.
