Extra Pressure of Working from Home

Is there extra pressure of working from home? The COVID scenario has brought out a few challenges and key questions for leaders. One among them is to consider the effects of remote working on employees. Whether it is a startup or an established company, the question remains – how well are we equipped to support the working-from-home scenario? 

The pressure of working from Home

I’m conscious that working from home is often thought of as a luxury since it avoids the painful commute, associated costs, etc. On the flip side, it is quite lonely and there always appears to be extra pressure to deliver more.

The question to ask as a senior leader/ startup founder is: Are we doing enough to make it fair for people working from home? What are our possible actions towards reducing the pressure of working from home?

Equipped for working from home

While working from home, ensure that your logistics are up to date. The most important thing, of course, is the internet, connectivity and suitable working space. Simple and basic things to check for are – echoes, desk/chair setup, etc. Thanks to the background blurring capability of most software, you don’t have to worry much about making it too presentable.

Another trend you’ll notice due to working from home scenario is the reduction in demand for apartments or rental spaces in the centre. If your work relies on constant travel, serviced apartments are a good choice for a temporary work setup. Serviced apartments are becoming increasingly popular for travellers who want a home away from home. These apartments are fully equipped, with all the amenities of a hotel and the comforts of home. They offer great value for money and provide the perfect solution for long-term stays or large groups. Plus, they are often located in central areas, close to public transportation and other attractions. Check out apartments for rent in Lakeland fl.

FOMO – The Fear of Missing Out

We have all heard of the mythical fear of missing out. This may very well be real in a working context for someone working from home. Will they be a part of every office meeting? 

I have been in scenarios where a person working from home is forgotten from a meeting. Often, it is a simple innocuous mistake, or a meeting happens by the water cooler.

It is very difficult to have all scenarios accounted for. I have been guilty of having a quick chat while missing someone who has worked from home in the past.

In such scenarios, what do we need to do in order to account for such scenarios? Communication is not always the easiest one to be on top of. In such scenarios, can we account for over communication instead of under?  

Stress of Proving your worth 

This is not a very easy one. We are navigating between the questions of getting noticed while working from home and proving our worth. Both are closely aligned to each other. 

Now to ask the silly question – does coming into office early and leaving late get me noticed? Well, the truthful answer is yes. But you would not want to be known as the person who comes early and does not get anything done. Yes, they do create a perception of going the extra mile, but they are useless if the work is not getting done. 

So, is there really a stress of proving your worth? Will leaders have more confidence of people working in front of them so that they can see the commitment?

Although the answer is no, I still question – how convinced are we with that no? Can we do something to prevent a bias if there’s any to prevent the pressure of working from home for employees to prove their worth?  

Pressure to Get Noticed 

Ah! Now, this is tricky. There are so many things people do to get noticed and I have seen these backfire in a bad manner. 

To be fair, we all deserve to be noticed for the good work we do. Working from home is quite hard to be honest. It takes a little more than normal effort to keep ourselves constantly motivated. We miss out a key contributor of motivation – environmental influence. 

In such a scenario, the only tool of communication we have is to engage with the team and the team leaders we are exposed to. Frequent updates are certainly a great starting point. Nothing better than proactive communication. Then again, the onus lies on the person working from home.

As we can quickly see from the above lines of communication, there is more to do for a person working from home than while in office. 

In the view of all these, I have barely touched the surface of challenges of working from home. Is it really fair for us to think of working from home as a luxury?