Exclusive Interview with Sat Sindhar, Managing Director, People HR

A Little More Self-Discipline Is All You Need In Achieving Work-Life Balance

Sat Sindhar is currently serving People HR as a Managing Director. His expertise honed over the last 25 years has been firmly grounded in the fields of Business Operations and Human Resources. Visit www.peoplehr.com Connect Sat Sindhar

“The biggest challenge is probably the feeling of social isolation, with the lack of face-to-face contact. Skype or Zoom meetings are great, but they don't quite give you that same human connection as meeting somebody in person”, says Sat Sindhar, Managing Director, People HR. 

In an interview with HR.com, Sat talks about how COVID-19 has affected the work structures of his team and organization, and offers key insights on how to achieve work-life balance when these structures are disturbed, and much more. Excerpts from the interview: 

Q: With the blurring lines of work and life, do you think employees are able to achieve work-life balance?

Sat Sindhar: Achieving a work-life balance when lines are so blurred is a challenge, and you need to have a little more self-discipline. 

For example, you should have a strict cut-off time, after which you don't check your emails. And if possible, avoid working from a room where you relax - if you are working and sleeping in the same room, for example, you might find it harder to get your brain into gear when you want to work, and harder to switch off from your work when you want to sleep.

Q: What are some of the challenges your employees are facing while working from home?

Sat Sindhar: Some employees struggle to balance childcare with their workloads, but this can be managed with a little creativity. The biggest challenge is probably the feeling of social isolation, with the lack of face-to-face contact. Skype or Zoom meetings are great, but they don't quite give you that same human connection as meeting somebody in person.  Even when we were an entirely remote-working organization, we would make an effort to get the team together in-person, on a fairly regular basis, just for that social connection factor. 

Q: What has your organization done to make sure that employees are staying focused, committed, and happy?

Sat Sindhar: We are offering remote yoga sessions via Zoom, to help employees stay active and keep their blood pumping. It is a great way for them to stay connected with their colleagues, too.

Q: Any new benefits offered to employees to achieve work-life balance?

Sat Sindhar: While we are still all working from home, we are offering our employees free breakfast and lunch, which they can pick up from the office each day, if they wish - from a safe distance, of course. It helps remind them that the real world exists, they get to see some of their colleagues, and the set meal collection times help some of them to add a bit of structure to the day.

Q: Any work from home tips you would like to share?

Sat Sindhar: Don't work late into the night. Try to keep a regular routine. Chat to your colleagues often - even if it's for no real reason at all.
 

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