Telecommuting can easily lead to a feeling of loneliness, as you find yourself alone at home in front of your desk, without being able to communicate directly with your colleagues. It's important to understand that loneliness is an emotion that stems from thoughts like "I'm alone". The more you think about it, the more isolated you become, and the more you lose the reflex to make contact, which exacerbates the feeling of loneliness you may feel.
The best way to combat isolation is to keep in touch with your work environment, i.e. your colleagues. For example, by turning on your camera during videoconference meetings, or by sharing your telecommuting experience with others.
A videoconference call can be an opportunity for informal exchanges at the start or end of a meeting, but you can also organize a coffee or lunch in zoom, to check in with your colleagues and continue to create a bond despite the context. It's up to you to cultivate this bond, and don't forget that others can also feel lonely, so don't hesitate to call them to take stock, or send them messages to ask questions, despite the distance.
Mistake 2: Thinking that our employees can handle teleworking on their own
Casablanca brick pink pants, white chimney collar
You need to be aware that your are just as lost as you are when faced with the need to reorganize. If you're a leader and you have to manage a team, your role is to communicate and guide. You have to rethink your leadership when telecommuting, and there's no magic formula! It's up to you to find the tools that work best for you and your team.
Change is perceived as a danger by the brain, and we often start by resisting it. This is what leads us to accept telecommuting "on the cheap", i.e. to blame this new way of working for all the ills (lack of communication with teams, lack of visibility on performance, etc.). To counteract this effect, we need to focus on all the positive aspects of telecommuting, before better defining its benefits!
Take the time to list the positive points of teleworking for you; maybe the time you save on commuting means you can spend more time with your family, or the liberating effect of the camera means you can express yourself more easily!
Mistake 3: Not planning your day
Your brain identifies being at home with being relaxed/not working. This makes concentration more difficult than in an office.
Organizing your time: It's vital to organize your day, with a beginning, an end and break times, so as not to fall into two pitfalls: overflowing into break times, or on the contrary, being prone to procrastination.It's important to organize your moments of relaxation, because they'll help you delimit the boundaries between work and relaxation. Switch off the screens, go for a walk, read a book; to really decompress and stay efficient.
Organize your space: To remain efficient, you also need a physical space dedicated to work; a tidy desk, in a quiet room, to avoid too many distractions.
Taking the time to get dressed: Starting your day by taking the time to get dressed is also very important, in the sense that it allows your brain to realize that you're going to work. Even when you're telecommuting, personal branding counts, and you'll feel better than if you'd spent the whole week in your pyjamas! :)
To listen to the "Ambitious Woman" podcast episode in full, click here.
