Life for all of us changed dramatically in mid March of this year. Schools shut down and with children sent home indefinitely “Operation Remote Learning” was quickly put into action. Companies dusted off their business continuity plans and all non essential staff were relocated to their home offices and kitchen tables.
Throughout all this change, fear and uncertainty we tried to remain upbeat and positive about our new lifestyle. With daily commutes eliminated we relished the extra hours at home and embraced the slightly slower pace of life. We found ourselves with time to bake and garden. Zoom pilates classes were very much on trend. There was no end to the plans we had to recreate ourselves and transform our homes. We still had to work though and parents were keen to keep up their children’s learning.
9 weeks in and if the anecdotal evidence is to be believed remote working for some is beginning to lose its appeal. Where there was once a clear divide between work and home life the lines of division have now become blurred. The reality of holding down a job, keeping on top of school work and running a home now seems less viable than we thought initially. The sugar coated enthusiasm for virtual bake offs is on the wane . Our gardens are beginning to lose their bloom.
The team at WorkJuggle is used to working remotely however the last few weeks trying to juggle homeschooling and work has put us to the test.
At our weekly WorkJuggle meetings Any Other Business has become How Is Everyone which kickstarts an open discussion on the highs and lows of our new working environments. It is an interesting discussion !
We were interested to see how everyone else really is with this new way of working and so we put together a short survey to allow you to have your say. We would love to know are you enjoying working from home? Maybe you are missing the informal chats at the coffee machine?. Or perhaps you are hoping to negotiate more flexible working arrangements with your employers when life returns to normal?