Productivity in career and work, improving home office scenario.

Busted Remote working (home office) myths and tentative alternatives

<figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*lldSMdN0WT733d8E5qAaFw" width="785" height="520"><figcaption class="ke kf gb fz ga kg kh bg b bh bi dz" data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@yasmina?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Yasmina H</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><BLOCKQUOTE>‘A dream state of work’</BLOCKQUOTE>— that’s what one of my previous colleagues used to say about the home-office concept.His office was in downtown Toronto, a usual 40 minutes drive from his home. Reporting to the downtown workstation had always psyched him. Plus, most of his clients were in the states, so no in-person business meetings in Canada. Of course, work from home was the desired state for him.<BLOCKQUOTE>The grass is always greener on the other side.</BLOCKQUOTE>Just after one year of that conversation, the pandemic hit the world. The changed scenario tripped us, and many of us started the dream state of work, remote office.Any change goes through a phase, and trial and error adjust the way we evolve to the changes. The same happened with the home-office scenario. We looked into the available best practices and implemented many of those guidelines.For some, the transition was easier as they experienced doing home office before due to their job nature. For others, it was a huge change.<BLOCKQUOTE>And when the dust settled, most of us realized that all that glitters were not gold. The sparkly status of doing remote work is fading to many. The experience we had also shown that many of those pieces of advice didn’t work out exactly the way we expected.</BLOCKQUOTE>The scenario will not change soon. So, I thought of mentioning the following busted myths and sharing some ways out to help.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Myth: You should wear formal/semi-formal attire to set a direction and focus on office work.</h1><figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*2LrDYRqfeS0bxSVdTZhB5g" width="676" height="1202"><figcaption class="ke kf gb fz ga kg kh bg b bh bi dz" data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@adrien_vj?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Adrien Vajas</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Reality</h2>Yes, the office decorum might need formal attire. It seemed to be a great idea earlier when the mass remote-work started — more of a direction for providing an illusionary sense of productivity.After almost a year, it doesn’t feel like it.We are already in the stressed scenario. Apart from business meetings, the whole day posture in formal attire seems illogical to me.And the discomfort — you bet!<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Actions to take</h2>Wear comfortable clothing that keeps you relaxed throughout office hours. Keep in mind not to disrespect or to cause discomfort to others.If you do not like spending personal time with the same attire you wore during office hours, change it afterward.For formal meetings or business sessions, you should wear appropriate attire for sure.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Myth: Digital Team-session is fun, quick, more accessible, and less stressful.</h1><figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*tWwS_KrTXtmMadzkKiz1Lg" width="680" height="510"><figcaption class="ke kf gb fz ga kg kh bg b bh bi dz" data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@cwmonty?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Chris Montgomery</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Reality</h2>This myth busted within a few months. You might feel the other way around, but it is true for most cases. There are many reasons for it.Frequency is one of the reasons. As it is easier to arrange and quicker to attend, we have seen a significant jump in online sessions.There is also the issue of unrealistic urgency. Many organizations felt that the employees had more open slots, so fillers like online sessions came in. Any occasion nowadays is directed towards online meetings.The incorporation of non-productive agendas is making the sessions exhaustive too. Team-building activities, fun interactions, festivity, and celebrations are not very interesting nowadays.Do we have a choice? Yes.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Actions to take</h2>Organizations have a crucial role to play. Rather than frequent and irrelevant meetings, they require to reduce the online sessions by omitting unnecessary meetings and agenda.Online meetings with essential discussion points &amp; shorter duration will bring a smile to people. Some discussions are better for a one-to-one session.Organizations also need to get unbiased feedback from employees in this regard. Whatever is not working or diminishing the success of the session should be called off. Pandemic-time business scenario and process analysis are a must in this case.<BLOCKQUOTE>In this transition, real-time adjustments are the key to survival.</BLOCKQUOTE>For individuals, the idea is to remain attentive, efficient and productive. Some fun facts shouldn’t be that bad. If something is not working, change it. If you want to try out a new way of doing things, ask for approval or execute it if it is up to you.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Myth: Remote work is making employees lazy, and they are not doing their job. Hence, the employers should put more and more workload (i.e., KPIs).</h1><figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*vg2n58sXooor2-cK2JBRUQ" width="676" height="901"><figcaption class="ke kf gb fz ga kg kh bg b bh bi dz" data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@stilclassics?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">STIL</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Reality</h2>It is a beautiful lie.For business justification, many “strategic” leaders are putting extra activity burden. It is increasing the workload but also having a diminishing return on productivity.People are working their a**-off to justify their existence in their workplace. Job cuts, voluntary layoff schemes, division drops are now common.Hence most of us are putting more effort to remain on the payroll.And, this is not only from my experience. I heard it from many of my colleagues, ex-colleagues, friends, etc.A biased, preconceived notion towards the employees is not a good indicator of a trustworthy workplace.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Actions to take</h2>Strategic leaders should understand the current scenario and escalate the workload based on that as the excess burden will cause stress, discomfort, unnecessary process, and slower engagements.Unbiased, fearless, but relevant feedback from employees can do the trick too.Employees also need to onboard their employer about the intense pressure. If not shared, the chances are the workload will never be the same again.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Myth: Remote work creates a better work-life balance.</h1><figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*zmudxKhIWYX3Wm0tITDq9w" width="680" height="907"><figcaption class="ke kf gb fz ga kg kh bg b bh bi dz" data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@birderee?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">KT</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Reality</h2>Not true for most of us.It is not about being an organized person; there are several factors in play. The workload has increased a lot. Other things are happening in life that needs your constant attention.Health hazards, job security, financial troubles, etc., are encircling us with tensions.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Actions to take</h2>It is up to us how to define life-work balance, even though employers keep pushing you.<BLOCKQUOTE>I close my laptop at the exact end time, and it remains close till the next day. So, I do not feel the extra work-hour burden. In my calendar (synced with my team), I have locked my lunch-hour, so that no one bothers me during that time.</BLOCKQUOTE>Personal time has its workload too. So you have to decide which ones need your attention now and which one doesn’t.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Myth: No commute, no in-person presence in the office; hence there is plenty of time for self-development and self-care.</h1><figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*ZVw9vKh2_2r3hYk4EGUsvg" width="676" height="451"><figcaption dir="auto">Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash</figcaption></figure><h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Reality</h2>Apart from a few, most people are suffering to manage their time these days.Yes, most of us don’t need commute hours now.However, stress, health hazards, family chores, etc., are eating most of our time, making it difficult for the self-development part.<h2 data-selectable-paragraph="">Actions to take</h2>Taking rest is important too. My experience in the last few months says that you need a breather time. Do not jump into the self-development part right away after office. Exhaustion and the burden of self-development will do no good to you.Too many self-development pathways will distract you too. You will not be able to master nor improve, as your time is limited. Take one at a time, and with breather space.It is essential to check your mental sanity pulse. Discuss with family members, vent out to your friend, or seek psychological expert support. Taking care of yourself will pave a smoother pathway for self-development.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">Concluding notes</h1>It is important to note that not all the factors are within our grasp. So keeping reality in our minds rather than myths will do good for us.Organizations are mainly structured to deliver revenue and growth, with an obligation to their shareholders. It makes sense to ensure a sensible and productive workplace for employees.If employees feel great about their workspace, genuine efforts will follow. It will provide better adaptability to business needs, hence more chances to survive (or, growth).<BLOCKQUOTE>From an individual’s perspective, acknowledge the facts. Hiding the issues will not improve the scenario. Once we recognize those, it is easier to take action to create a better home-office work habit. If something is not working for you as advised, try a different approach.</BLOCKQUOTE>It is you who will be executing your work, so better be in your terms, in your space. Cheers.<figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/1*hGvbAbaPhL9Dsj_HkphLFQ" width="785" height="619"><figcaption class="ke kf gb fz ga kg kh bg b bh bi dz" data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@clamt?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Callum T</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" class="en ki" rel="noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>

5 Busted Myths of Remote Working And The Relevant Alternatives For More Productive Office Hours. By Suntonu Bhadra. Business Thoughts Notebook.

productivity

Productivity

remotework

Remote Work

habits

Habits

timemanagement

Time Management

humanresources

Human Resources

— that’s what one of my previous colleagues used to say about the home-office concept.

His office was in downtown Toronto, a usual 40 minutes drive from his home. Reporting to the downtown workstation had always psyched him. Plus, most of his clients were in the states, so no in-person business meetings in Canada. Of course, work from home was the desired state for him.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

Just after one year of that conversation, the pandemic hit the world. The changed scenario tripped us, and many of us started the dream state of work, remote office.

Any cha nge goes through a phase, and trial and error adjust the way we evolve to the changes. The same happened with the home-office scenario. We looked into the available best practices and implemented many of those guidelines.

For some, the transition was easier as they experienced doing home office before due to their job nature. For others, it was a huge change.

And when the dust settled, most of us realized that all that glitters were not gold. The sparkly status of doing remote work is fading to many. The experience we had also shown that many of those pieces of advice didn’t work out exactly the way we expected.

The scenario will not change soon. So, I thought of mentioning the following busted myths and sharing some ways out to help.

Myth: You should wear formal/semi-formal attire to set a direction and focus on office work.

Yes, the office decorum might need formal attire. It seemed to be a great idea earlier when the mass remote-work started — more of a direction for providing an illusionary sense of productivity.

After almost a year, it doesn’t feel like it.

We are already in the stressed scenario. Apart from business meetings, the whole day posture in formal attire seems illogical to me.

W ear comfortable clothing that keeps you relaxed throughout office hours. Keep in mind not to disrespect or to cause discomfort to others.

I f you do not like spending personal time with the same attire you wore during office hours, change it afterward.

F or formal meetings or business sessions, you should wear appropriate attire for sure.

Myth: Digital Team-session is fun, quick, more accessible, and less stressful.

This myth busted within a few months. You might feel the other way around, but it is true for most cases. There are many reasons for it.

Frequency is one of the reasons. As it is easier to arrange and quicker to attend, we have seen a significant jump in online sessions.

There is also the issue of unrealistic urgency . Many organizations felt that the employees had more open slots, so fillers like online sessions came in. Any occasion nowadays is directed towards online meetings.

The incorporation of non-productive agendas is making the sessions exhaustive too. Team-building activities, fun interactions, festivity, and celebrations are not very interesting nowadays.

Do we have a choice? Yes.

O rganizations have a crucial role to play. Rather than frequent and irrelevant meetings, they require to reduce the online sessions by omitting unnecessary meetings and agenda.

O nline meetings with essential discussion points & shorter duration will bring a smile to people. Some discussions are better for a one-to-one session.

O rganizations also need to get unbiased feedback from employees in this regard. Whatever is not working or diminishing the success of the session should be called off. Pandemic-time business scenario and process analysis are a must in this case.

In this transition, real-time adjustments are the key to survival.

F or individuals, the idea is to remain attentive, efficient and productive. Some fun facts shouldn’t be that bad. If something is not working, change it. If you want to try out a new way of doing things, ask for approval or execute it if it is up to you.

Myth:  Remote work is making employees lazy, and they are not doing their job. Hence, the employers should put more and more workload    (i.e., KPIs).

For business justification, many “strategic” leaders are putting extra activity burden. It is increasing the workload but also having a diminishing return on productivity.

People are working their a**-off to justify their existence in their workplace. Job cuts, voluntary layoff schemes, division drops are now common.

Hence most of us are putting more effort to remain on the payroll.

And, this is not only from my experience. I heard it from many of my colleagues, ex-colleagues, friends, etc.

A biased, preconceived notion towards the employees is not a good indicator of a trustworthy workplace.

S trategic leaders should understand the current scenario and escalate the workload based on that as the excess burden will cause stress, discomfort, unnecessary process, and slower engagements.

U nbiased, fearless, but relevant feedback from employees can do the trick too.

E mployees also need to onboard their employer about the intense pressure. If not shared, the chances are the workload will never be the same again.

Myth: Remote work creates a better work-life balance.

It is not about being an organized person; there are several factors in play. The workload has increased a lot. Other things are happening in life that needs your constant attention.

Health hazards, job security, financial troubles, etc., are encircling us with tensions.

I t is up to us how to define life-work balance, even though employers keep pushing you.

I close my laptop at the exact end time, and it remains close till the next day. So, I do not feel the extra work-hour burden. In my calendar (synced with my team), I have locked my lunch-hour, so that no one bothers me during that time.

P ersonal time has its workload too. So you have to decide which ones need your attention now and which one doesn’t.

Myth: No commute, no in-person presence in the office; hence there is plenty of time for self-development and self-care.

Apart from a few, most people are suffering to manage their time these days.

Yes, most of us don’t need commute hours now.

However, stress, health hazards, family chores, etc., are eating most of our time, making it difficult for the self-development part.

T aking rest is important too. My experience in the last few months says that you need a breather time. Do not jump into the self-development part right away after office. Exhaustion and the burden of self-development will do no good to you.

T oo many self-development pathways will distract you too. You will not be able to master nor improve, as your time is limited. Take one at a time, and with breather space.

I t is essential to check your mental sanity pulse. Discuss with family members, vent out to your friend, or seek psychological expert support. Taking care of yourself will pave a smoother pathway for self-development.

It is important to note that not all the factors are within our grasp. So keeping reality in our minds rather than myths will do good for us.

Organizations are mainly structured to deliver revenue and growth, with an obligation to their shareholders. It makes sense to ensure a sensible and productive workplace for employees.

If employees feel great about their workspace, genuine efforts will follow. It will provide better adaptability to business needs, hence more chances to survive (or, growth ).

From an individual’s perspective, acknowledge the facts . Hiding the issues will not improve the scenario. Once we recognize those, it is easier to take action to create a better home-office work habit. If something is not working for you as advised, try a different approach.

It is you who will be executing your work, so better be in your terms, in your space. Cheers.

5 Busted Myths Of Remote Working And The Relevant Alternatives For More Productive Office Hours

Busted Remote working (home office) myths and tentative alternatives

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