WFH- Creating a New Normal

Conquering working from home!

A lot of us are finding ourselves in the position of being based at home. For most of us this is
a new experience so just how do you go about conquering working from home? You may
have done the odd day here and there, but for the next few weeks at least. So getting a few
things right from the beginning, self imposing a few rules and creating a new normal will
mean you will quickly get the hang of conquering working from home

There are 3 key areas to focus :
Preparation
*The right mind-set
*Set yourself up a ‘work like’ area
*Dressing the part
Structuring your day
*Working with your circumstances
*Have a ‘work like’ routine
Stay Healthy
*Take care of yourself
*Lunch Breaks

 

Preparation: Step 1 – the right mind-set
It’s the ‘I can do this’ attitude you need to capture
The most important thing is to get your mindset right. Treat it like a new job. This is a new
opportunity and will give you new challenges.
Think about a time you have come up against a similar challenge, that initial feeling of mild
trepidation soon turns to a cautious excitement and then usually quite quickly an ‘I can do
this’ attitude

Go through your senses:
What could you hear at the time? Silence, music, kettle bubbling away?
What could you see? Colleagues smiling, working away, a picture on the wall?
What could you smell (some of us rely on our smell memory as much as our other
senses)?
What could you taste? It could be that ‘I can do’ mind frame when you were having
lunch?
Top Tip: The better you can capture that memory
the easier it is to ‘cut and paste’ it into your
current situation
If you are a bit sceptical try it with a happy event you can recall. Go through the same
process and see how it changes your outlook. You have cut and pasted that memory onto
today
Create yourself an ‘I can do it’ memory and Step 1 is complete! You are on your way to
conquering working from home!

Preparation : Step 2 – Set yourself up a ‘work like’ area
Ideally this space will be away from the TV and in a room where you won’t get interrupted
or people won’t hear the dogs bark if someone knocks at the door!
All of these may not be possible – you may have no choice but to work in the kitchen or
front room, just make the space as ‘work like’ as possible
Your space should be big enough to take your laptop, water (don’t forget your brew). If you
usually have a picture of your kids, the dogs or your favourite holiday destination try and
have that there too (remember you are trying to create a space as ‘work like’ as possible)
Have stationery set up. Pens, paper, notepads

If you don’t have the time on your laptop try and have sight of a clock
If you are using your mobile, are you near to a plug socket just in case your battery goes?
Think about re-charging your laptop, can you do that in this space too?

The chair you use is important. Pick the chair that will be most comfy to sit in for longer
periods (however it will be important to regularly get up and move about)
Do you have good light? We are currently in spring so daylight is good, sit as close to natural
daylight as your situation allows (a nice view will help your mind-set)

 

Preparation :Step 3 – Dressing the part
How you dress really can affect how you feel
We all have our ‘comfy’ clothes we tend to put on to slop around the house that we
associate with chilling out. It makes sense therefore to create the right ‘working’ mindset
that we wear what we normally would for work
Start from the beginning, follow your usual morning routine that you would for work so if
that’s to have a shower do the same
Put on your ‘work wear’. If you usually wear a blouse and skirt wear them, if it’s a casual top with
smart trousers do the same
If you wear makeup etc. the same applies. All these little differences will help
you differentiate your ‘work time’
Remember, unless you sleep under your desk, we all make a journey to work whether its 30
minutes or two hours and its often the time we are having conversations in our head about
things we need to do, people we need to see (or is that just me?!), we listen to our favourite
breakfast DJ’s; radio stations; audio books, podcasts etc.
So why not take your ‘journey time’ and use it before you start work – take the dog out, go
any buy a newspaper – if the shop is open, sit in the garden with a brew or do some light
exercise, meditation etc.
ut/https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/5-minute-wake-up-workoAt the end of the day do the same – if you usually change into your ‘comfies’ make sure you do that too and switch to non-work mode. This is all part of tricking yourself into the right mindse

 

Structuring your day:Step 1 – Work with your circumstances
Let’s face it, we do not all live in a bubble, so if you have family, kids, pets at home who are
sharing your space you will need to make plans to fit around them
Look to create a timetable of things to do that works alongside your 30-minute task slots?
Crafting, colouring or listening to an audio story book on a set of headphones?
Amazon have lots of free audio books for children of all ages https://stories.audible.com/
Mindful Monsters is a resource for children, with a number of activity cards & stickers. Why
not plan in a break during your day for some mindfulness together?
https://mindfulmonsters.co.uk/?&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=M
M_Bing_Prospecting_Generic_Meditation%20For%20Kids_BMM____&utm_term=%2Bkids%20%2Bmeditation&utm_content=Meditation%20Kids&gclid=CI_8_M-isegCFY6FhQodqrQFxw&gclsrc=ds

Maybe your partner will play out with them in the garden, run off some energy?
Can you return the favour if someone else in the household needs quite time at a different
time?
Think about scheduling calls for nap time? (I know, I know you can’t rely on that but it may
be an option!)
The most important thing to do is do what you can, work with your circumstances and talk
to your line manager about what is/isn’t possible . Communication with others will be key
on the path to conquering working from home

Structuring your day: Step 2 – Have a ‘work like’ routine
Some of the concern we all have about working from home is dealing with the change so
the more you can keep your day as similar as possible to routine the better
So plan your day as you would in work
Identify what you want to get from the day and what you can do to make that happen – the
work you’re doing from home might be different to what you would normally do if you were
in work
Plan meetings (they will now likely be on the phone, Skype, Teams, WhatsApp,) or ‘check-in’
calls with colleagues or your line manager.
Plan your day – try to do this in a time plan
Put jobs /tasks in 30-minute slots
Plan in important stuff first
If you use a ‘to do’ list, when you complete a task highlight it, tick it off, put a big line
through it – anything to show yourself you are making progress!
Have an end to your day – review what you have done. Anything not done put on
tomorrow’s list. Turn your laptop off and ‘clock out’ for the day
If you are in a separate room shut the door and walk away until your start time tomorrow!
Routine is one way to conquering working from home

Stay healthy: Step 1 – Take care of yourself
Plan in 5 minute and 20 minute breaks
5 minute stretches

Stand up, push your chair back from your desk and get yourself a stretching regime that is
right for you
Pay attention to your arms and shoulders and your back – where you can arch your back
pushing your belly out, then do the opposite – curve your spine, rolling from the bottom to
your shoulders so you curve your spine outwards
Stretch your legs, have a quick walk round the room
Sit back close your eyes and re-focus on your ‘happy moment’ or ‘I can do this moment’
Chair yoga is great for gentle stretching

Take 20 minute breaks
Try where you can to get fresh air, go for a walk in the garden, outside or even just take in
fresh air through the window!
You may be lucky enough to have an exercise bike or a treadmill – get on there for 10 mins
Listen to a TED Talk – YouTube has a whole variety of videos. Find one that appeals to you,
press play and then turn your chair away from the screen so you are sitting with your back
to your laptop, and listen
One of the TED Channels with lots to choose from…
https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector/videos?disable_polymer=1
One I found particularly funny…. https://youtu.be/_QdPW8JrYzQ
Or watch a short documentary – about animals caught on webcam!

https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/countryside/g31784857/live-animal-webcam-
zoo/

It doesn’t matter what it is, just give your brain and your body a short break and change in
posture; anything really to get your endorphins going and to reset your mind

Stay healthy:Step 2 – Lunch breaks matter

Make sure you take it and eat as healthy as possible (where you can eat fruit and veg)
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/healthy-lunch

https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes/lunch
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/16376/healthy-recipes/lunches/
Drink some clear fluids
We all make an effort (or try to!) when we’re at work to drink plenty of water, it helps us to
concentrate and stay focused. Now you’re working from home, you need to stay as focused
as possible. Water bottles filled up and kept by your workstation, a visual reminder will help
you with your water intake 
More exercise!
When you work from home the exercise you are not doing just by going to work and walking
round the office, to and from meetings, making a brew etc. needs compensating for; so this
really is a time to add in those few extra steps, stretches or at least getting the fresh air and
the re-hydration you need. Keeping yourself healthy has to be a focus on your journey to
conquering working from home at Lifeworks
Remember when you are out, if you see someone especially elderly or vulnerable person
stop and talk. Stay 2 meters away and just ask how they are, talk about the weather, pass 5
minutes with them. You may be the only person they speak to

IF YOU HAVE FOUND THIS USEFUL AND WOULD LIKE SOME ADDITIONAL ADVICE PLEASE
CONTACT ME SUSAN TRACEY at: susan@lifeworksconsulting.co.uk mobile 07967226492.
There are more interesting articles on my website www.lifeworksconsulting.co.uk

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So, we are, slowly but surely, getting back to some kind of normality and the question arises whether or not you, as an employer, can force your employees to continue working from home if they don’t wish to do so, or vice versa? The answer to this question depends, in a small way, on whether you have an employment contract which states where their place of work will be. Of course, there is always room to negotiate if you make yourself approachable enough. Unprecedented times demand unprecedented negotiations! Going back to the office Lots of us may not yet be happy to commute on public transport into work like we used to do. On the other hand, you may have employees lucky enough to be within walking or cycling distance of your office. But how safe do they feel about returning, especially if the office, factory, studio or whatever the place of work may be, has numerous staff or employees? On the other hand, many people are very keen to get back to the office and their work colleagues and may well be wishing to go back to the office before you ask them to. Staying at home If you have employees that have been working from home and have the facilities to do so, and you have been quite happy with their productivity, then there should be no reason why they can’t negotiate with you to continue doing so. And while government guidelines are still recommending people work from home, then you may be hard pushed to force anyone back to the office. On the other hand, if a job cannot be done satisfactorily from home and you can demonstrate this, then it may be difficult for your team members to claim any rights to continue working from home if their usual place of work, pre-COVID, was your office. But what of workers that are sick of working from home? They miss their workmates, the children are driving them mad, they cannot get that work-life balance right and they enjoy going to work. Can you tell them to continue working from home? Do they have to comply? This will depend on what place of work (if any) is specified in their contract of employment. Contracts and guidelines For example, if their contract states that ‘your place of work shall be xxx’ then that should be where they will be working. However, if, for example, you have taken the decision (perhaps because of a drain on finances due to lockdown) to cancel the lease on the work premises (without consultation) and there is no longer a possibility of working from xxx, then there could arguably be a claim for breach of employment contract and wrongful dismissal at common law. Regardless of employment contracts, while the government guidelines say ‘work from home wherever possible’, you may be able to justify your insistence that your team continues to work from home, even if their contracts stipulate their place of work is elsewhere. Finding a way forward If an employee feels that they cannot work in the new way you have stipulated, whether that’s asking them to stay at home or asking them to return to the office, and this in turn makes them feel you have no choice but to leave, they may have a constructive dismissal case against you. However, they should bear in mind the government guidelines and try to understand your difficulties. Acting in a reasonable manner, under all the circumstances, should be the order of the day. Nevertheless, it’s a delicate and unprecedented situation. I have seen some business owners ask their employees what they would prefer to do, and quite often this works out well, as some will want to return to the workplace and others will not. Alternatively, some employers have a rota system in place, where employees come into the office two or three days per week and by taking it in turn, this helps to maintain safety, and distance guidelines. Whatever the situation is, we have not experienced the like before and would hope that employers are sensitive to the wishes of their employees and vice versa to try to reach an amicable arrangement. However, if you find yourself in a difficult situation in relation to employment contracts, and need assistance with the legalities, you can call on the services of a paralegal. A paralegal is a legal professional who is not a qualified solicitor and, therefore, will not charge the earth to help you sort things out on the legal side of things if you need them to do so, and may help to diffuse any possible adverse situation by negotiating on your behalf. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Amanda Hamilton is Chief Executive of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP), a non-profit Membership Body and the only Paralegal body that is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications in England). Through its Centres, accredited recognised professional paralegal qualifications are offered for a career as a paralegal professional. See: http://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk Can you, as an employer, dictate whether employees work from either home or office?
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