POSTED 01.05.20
The current social distancing measures introduced by the UK Government in response to the COVID-19 crisis have driven a substantial change in our working habits. Data published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics in April 2020 showed that 49.2% of adults in employment were working from home.
Employers have been asked to adapt and enhance existing processes and technologies for increased connectivity, cyber security and project management and their ability to move swiftly to this new way of working has played a decisive role in easing the transition without generating any disruption to clients and colleagues.
For some employees, this option may seem an easier way to achieve a good work-life balance that provides flexibility and autonomy, however, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea and, many professionals still prefer to share their office space with colleagues as a way of socialising, collaborating and been more productive.
Under the current circumstances, having a daily routine is pivotal in ensuring our day-to-day productivity and some experts have defined some basic tips that can help us adapt successfully to our new workspace:
1. Establish a daily routine. Regular start and finish: waking up to be able to wash, get dressed and do the general things you would do before leaving for the office; to switch off, you need to establish a time to have breaks, lunch and finish for the day
2. Choose the right workstation. Choose an area of the house with access to fresh air and natural light
3. Take regular breaks and exercise. Every 30 mins get up, stretch and breathe. Remind yourself by drinking plenty of water.
4. Socialise. Tools and apps such as Slack, Skype, Zoom, and Google Hangouts, … among others can enable us to catch up with our colleagues regularly. It’s also good to regularly contact our colleagues even if it is to chat about non-work related stuff.
5. Think about food prep for the week so that you can plan a healthy diet while being at home
Our colleagues’ experience
Here at EASL, we recognise the importance of communicating regularly with each other when working from home to stay up-to-date with ongoing work but also just to ensure that all your colleagues are okay and coping well.
Non-work related chats are also important and online platforms such as Slack and Skype have enabled us to keep in contact with each other and to share our experiences, best tips and highs and lows about working from home, almost replacing some days the good daily office banter.
We have captured some of those tips and experiences for four of our colleagues below:
Jose, one of our most recent additions to the technical team, is finding this new setting quite enjoyable as it promotes the development of good communication and habits. He also likes the fact that once he leaves work, he is home! As one of our most recent graduates, Jose has been continuing his training as well as working on Finite Element modelling and analysis of piping components.
One of our Senior Engineers, Andrea is taking well to working from home, she enjoys the shorter commute and having her dogs for company all day, even if it is slightly awkward when they start barking or misbehaving during Skype video calls. Since working from home she has been working on project management tasks, where she has been bidding and winning new contracts for various suppliers and has been carrying out technical work on a pipe stress analysis model.
Another Senior Engineer James feels that working from home has its pro’s and con’s. James is used to cycling to work along the Bridgewater canal into Altrincham which is one of the things he misses the most, along with the daily face-to-face interaction with colleagues. However, he enjoys being able to see his family at lunch time and playing with his children in the garden, or to go on a short walk or bike ride. James tells us work has been extremely busy over the last month, with a number of tasks on the existing nuclear fleet for EDF, which he has successfully managed to continue delivering from home.
Another Graduate Engineer, Shantelle tells us she likes the fact that she no longer has a commute, where she annoyingly gets stuck in traffic every morning. She also feels her days are more structured when working from home and finds it easier to get stuck into work and block out time. Since working from home, as a new graduate engineer, Shantelle has been working on completing SQEP 0 homework.
Our ability to adapt to sudden changes has been put to the test and one thing is certain, our team has swiftly adjusted to this new way, ensuring that our clients’ needs are continuously met and providing the level of service and support that is expected from us.
To find out more about us and how we can help you, continue reading here
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