Understanding Working From Home Employees
Implications for transitioning back to “working from work”
Posted on 05-25-2020, Read Time: Min
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Differences between Traditional Remote and COVID-19 Remote Employees
Recently working from home (WFH) employees:
- Were forced (did not opt) to work remotely – either by government orders or company decisions.
- Are working from home (as opposed to working in an offsite work location). Working from home presents a variety of challenges (other family members present, a new working environment).
- Are also dealing with major health concerns – for themselves and family members.
- Have significant additional external life stressors – the pandemic’s global impact, broad economic concerns, job instability, disruption in daily activities, and financial challenges.
The current state of working from home is fundamentally different than prior remote working:
- Two of the most impactful aspects are instability and unpredictability – and this is true for everyone
- These factors lead to overriding anxiety in our lives.
Understanding Newly Remote Employees: Data from a 4-Week Study
From 1200+ applicants, we chose 50 individuals, attempting to get a balanced sample of:
- Living situations (alone, with roommate, spouse / significant other, children)
- Location (urban, suburban, rural)
- Gender
- Range of remote working experience
The participants completed an online questionnaire weekly for four weeks (March – April, 2020), looking at:
- Their single greatest concern that week
- The biggest challenges they were facing in daily life
- Their level of anxiety (and sources)
- What coping behaviors they were using
- The types and intensity of feelings they were experiencing
- Their level of connectedness and isolation
- Actions they and their colleagues took to stay connected
- What positive aspects they enjoyed while working from home
Core Themes Identified
- Anxiety (by almost everyone) about lots of things.
- Common practices among those who managed their anxiety and experienced more positive feeling reactions: healthy personal practices (adequate sleep, eating well, taking breaks, limiting watching anxiety-producing news, engaging in rejuvenating activities)
- Core components for staying connected with others:
- all involved (employee, colleagues, supervisor) proactively reached out
- interactions were both individual and groups, especially with peers
- not all communication was about work; connected at a personal level and involved light-hearted activities
Practical Implications
Understanding and managing anxiety
Understanding the sources of employees’ concerns (they differ for each individual) and teaching them how to manage their anxiety will be a major issue to address.
Staying connected
Remote employees are here to stay, even after the current pandemic becomes history. Putting practices in place to keep connected will be foundational to having a healthy workplace environment.
Healthy Habits
A key message for keeping remote employees resilient through this difficult time is relatively simple to implement. Encourage employees to do those activities that we know create a more positive, robust life. The more of these activities a person did, the better off they faired mentally.
Positive “Work from Home” Factors
Over 90% of responses by employees report a great deal of satisfaction in their lives from:
Understanding the sources of employees’ concerns (they differ for each individual) and teaching them how to manage their anxiety will be a major issue to address.
Staying connected
Remote employees are here to stay, even after the current pandemic becomes history. Putting practices in place to keep connected will be foundational to having a healthy workplace environment.
Healthy Habits
A key message for keeping remote employees resilient through this difficult time is relatively simple to implement. Encourage employees to do those activities that we know create a more positive, robust life. The more of these activities a person did, the better off they faired mentally.
Positive “Work from Home” Factors
Over 90% of responses by employees report a great deal of satisfaction in their lives from:
- not having to commute every day (and getting dressed for work)
- more time with family
- the flexibility associated with working from home
This raises a key issue for transitioning back to “working from work” -- managing the desire by many who want to continue working remotely after the current “stay at home” orders are lifted.
Author Bio
| Paul White is a Psychologist, Author, and Speaker who makes "work relationships work". He has consulted with a wide variety of organizations including Microsoft, the U.S. Air Force, Princeton University and many more. He is co-author of three books including The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace and The Vibrant Workplace. Visit www.appreciationatwork.com Connect Paul White Follow @drpaulwhite |
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