Remote-first Life: How Covid-19 changed work — The Bad
By: Cecilia Mir
Tags: Organisational Culture, Change Management, Mental Health, Covid 19, Remote Work

Last September we sent out a survey to understand how working remotely has affected employees’ productivity and well-being. Our research targeted people who before the pandemic were primarily office workers, working at the same company for that previous six months.

In the first article of our three-part series, we shared how working remotely has positively impacted the life of those who took part in our study. If you want to read the first blog about the positives, read it here. Today, we will touch on the negatives of it and how it has affected our productivity and mental health.

Have you struggled to adjust to this new normal? Do you miss your routine of going to work? Have you felt lonely during this period? By reading this article you will see you are not the only one feeling this way. There is hopefully some comfort reading that people across the world have experienced common frustrations and challenges. Be open about it and remain positive because the good news is that sooner rather than later the pandemic will pass too.

What did office workers lose when working from home?

1. Human connection

The switch to home working meant the social element of working was lost. The majority of people surveyed missed the carefree interactions with colleagues, or those Eureka moments in meetings together.

Spontaneous creativity and collaborative thinking cannot be booked into a calendar space. Not being able to have those water cooler conversations, bouncing ideas off people or visibility of what others are doing limit employees’ creative thinking and could have an impact on their work performance and personal well-being.

Missing casual interactions in the office

63% of respondents said that since lockdown began, they have experienced loneliness. The majority have not asked for help. Connecting with others, building relationships and having face to face interactions are one of the things people miss the most about their pre Covid-19 work life. Leaders must develop, adopt and promote programs and policies that create an empathetic culture centred on employee wellness, mental health and social connectivity.

“The job just becomes a job and not much more without people. So naturally performance suffers” — Sam, Belgium

2. Time and space boundaries

Covid-19 also abruptly stopped daily routines. The ritual of dressing up, commuting, coming home from work where we can mentally disconnect and focus on being present has been lost in a remote working model. The boundaries between professional and personal time and space have eroded as we share our kitchen tables with kids and clients. Some reported they struggled to disconnect from work during the night and some have struggled to connect with work during the day.

According to a study conducted by Atlassian in November, 57% of respondents said the blend of work and play has been skewed since lockdown measures were introduced. Although it may not be noticeable right now, in the long term it runs the risk of staff burn-out.

Setting boundaries and finding the right work and life balance is a reality for many of us and something we will have and will continue to need to work on. However, this can’t be done with a one-size-fits-all approach. Organisational leaders need to exercise empathy and be aware people have different needs. Flexibility, autonomy and responsibility should be key principles for any organisation’s culture code.

“[I miss] the “ritual” of coming home from work, where I can mentally disconnect and focus on being home. I miss chatting to my partner about our days as we’re around each other most of the time” — Jimmy, UK