IS IT TIME TO GO BACK TO WORK? QUARANTINE HAS WORKERS WANTING THEIR ROUTINE BACK
Whether it's work or leisure, we have limited our productivity and put a pause on life. These are unprecedented times, the corporate world, governments, and high-profile leaders can't find a way to make sense of it all. Unfortunately, we are seeing small-to-midsize businesses struggle to maintain their cash flow and adapting to this "new normal."
The ADAA announced that the uncertainty that has come from the Coronavirus is leaving individuals toward depression and anxiety. For white-collar employees that are just starting to embrace remote working, it has been a drastic transition from what they're used to; it's leading to a negative "I'm stuck inside" mentality that is hindering their productivity and health.
What can businesses and people do to alleviate some of the stress? Start by promoting healthy routines and giving them perks to work outside of their current situation.
Why Having a Routine Matters
Our routine and habits are tied to who we are as individuals. If you work over 50 hours a week, you'll consider yourself to be a workaholic. Perhaps spend a lot of time at the gym? You'll be labeled as a gym rat.
Every small idiosyncrasy of our daily lives is what makes us who we are, and even make us experts on what we do. Quite frankly, our daily routines matter because they are what makes us … us.
MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF HAVING A GOOD WORK ROUTINE
Having a good, productive routine can aid mental health and build confidence. If you're a productivity junkie that enjoys surpassing their big goals, one of the best things that happen when creating a healthy routine is that you'll be able to check more things off your to-do list.
Having a clear "backlog" lowers your stress levels, and will help you in other aspects of your life. With a clear mind, you'll be able to start breaking bad habits down, find more time to relax, and even get better sleep.
It won't be easy given the current state of fairs, but it is possible. Here are a couple of other tips to avoid depression and anxiety while working from home:
Get out of that "I am stuck inside" mentality and frame it as "I can finally focus on home and myself."
Attempt to stay close to your normal routine.
Don't spend too much time looking at the news.
Make sure that the people you live with respect your work hours
Start a quarantine ritual
Online networking and brand building
If you're an employer that's looking to encourage others to be more productive during this stressful time, it might be best to have actionable 1:1's where you (or managers) can interact with everybody to get a pulse of what's going on.
Remember, the goal is to be healthy and productive during this time, so that when things move on to the "new normal," you and your business can hit the ground running.
Do People Want to Go Back to Work?
In the past couple of weeks alone, there have been dozens of articles written on how people will transition to the "new office" atmosphere and what are some of the things that they might be scared of.
Shockingly, 60 percent of workers are likely or very likely to go back to the office as soon as they're allowed to do so. On top of that, 27% of those surveyed said that they have no concerns about returning to work.
However, there are some areas that they want to see improved before they get back. This one is a bit tricky, but others' behavior could put them in danger. Sure, in-office safety protocols can be enforced, however, there's no real guarantee that people are just going home and staying away from risky activity.
This makes it a bit tricky to bring back hundreds (maybe thousands) of people to come together in an office. It might be best to have a slow, gradual process to bring employees back. If you're from a large organization or even a small one that would like to start bringing back workers, we'd like to encourage investing in flexible office space.
Flexible Office Space to Create a Productive Safehaven
If you or your employees need a place to go, look into a flexible workspace or a flexible office. Think of it as a local satellite office where your business can run operations if someone doesn't feel comfortable going to HQ.
These spaces can hold 1-20 employees (or more) depending on the side — and the best part is, it's more cost-effective than having employees at the office. You'll be saving hundreds in lights, internet, furniture, and all the usual costs that come with having an office.
In fact, companies, specifically remote companies, shell out the money on remote work stipends and encourage employees to work out of these locations.
REMOTE WORK STIPEND — NOT AS RADICAL AS YOU THINK
The best example if a company like Buffer that is under 100 employees. They are entirely remote and save hundreds of thousands of dollars by having their globally dispersed company online.
They give employees the ability and freedom to work for at their house or flexible offices. The best part is that they are even more productive than other companies in their market. They mastered the art of remote work by giving employees money to set up and work where they'd like. They even have employees that travel the world and set up shop to get the job done.
The times might be rough to consider a stipend, but maybe striking a partnership with a local, flexible office space might be in your cards. At the end of the day, if you find something that is significantly cheaper and can give you or your employees the productive space you're looking for during this troubling time — it.
Minds CoWork is Helping Businesses Recover From Coronavirus
At Minds, we are looking to help businesses with lower rates on office space. If you're from a large company, small biz, or even a Miami-based boutique that might need to store their inventory, we're more than happy to have you in our space. Contact us today, and let's get you a productive, safe haven.
