Thanks to COVID-19, employees from every corner of the globe have all of a sudden started working remotely. On top of their work, working parents had to deal with home schooling. Even in normal circumstances, the shift from working in an office to working from home can be quite challenging. Still, when there is a pandemic taking place all around the world, the whole unprecedented situation is beyond stressful. If you still haven’t figured out how to juggle family and remote work successfully, here are a few tips to help you find the perfect balance.
Be Honest with Your Superiors
To successfully juggle remote work and family life, the first thing you have to do is talk to your superiors and be honest with them. Because of the pandemic and the new work arrangement, you have to be more flexible than usual. This means you have to be able to take into account your family dynamics when setting working hours. Also, your co-workers and the management might not be able to reach you at all times during the day. Being upfront about your responsibilities and requirements helps everyone around you manage their expectations. Moreover, by being transparent about your situation, you help the whole organization. Your superiors know what to expect from you. Based on this conversation, they can help you make necessary arrangements so neither your family life nor work suffer at any time.
Keep in Close Touch with Co-workers
To stay on top of things at work, you have to keep in close touch with co-workers. Your manager has probably given you some tools for communication such as an intranet or Instant Messaging. They know how much internal communication is important for the business, so they have to keep all remote employees connected. Since you have those tools at your disposal you might want to use it. It has many perks. First of all, you can communicate with your co-workers. Secondly, you can work together from the comfort of your homes. Thirdly, you can socialize, talk about current events, interests, ask for advice, etc. Lastly, you receive timely updates from the management, so you always know what is going on in the company. On the whole, staying in touch with co-workers helps you complete your work duties successfully and on time.
Embrace Your New Routine
Since you are undergoing a huge change in your life, it’s time to settle into a new routine. Now you have to be a full time not only a parent but also an employee. On top of all work-related stuff, you have to homeschool your kids and run a household. Because you have a lot going on in your life right now, you need to set it in order. Begin every day by setting daily priorities. You can also hold daily or weekly family meetings so you wouldn’t miss fulfilling anyone’s responsibility. Don’t forget to include your kids and their school activities and duties. If your kids are older, you can include them in household tasks. Doing the dishes, cleaning up their room, or setting up the table could become their day-to-day chore.
Spend Time with Your Family
Even in such difficult times as these, you can find a silver lining. No matter how stressful working from home is, you get to spend some quality time with your family at the end of the day. That is priceless. Don’t take it for granted. For this reason, you should use every free moment you have and have fun with your kids and spouse. During the day, you can spend your breaks with them sharing a meal and family memories. When you get up from your desk to stretch your legs, check in on them and see how they are doing. Bear in mind that your kids are also adapting to the new dynamics. When you finish work for the day, organize some family activities such as movie, pizza, or game night, or simply have dinner together as a family.
Find Some Me-time
While spending time with your family is great, you should also find some me-time. As an employee and a parent, you are always busy. When you aren’t working, you are taking care of your family and vice versa. There seems to be no break in between. Trying to manage it all is exhausting. To avoid burnout and anxiety, you have to take some downtime. Most parents use the early mornings or late evenings to unwind and recharge their batteries. For a couple of hours, you get to do whatever you like. You can read, watch a movie, workout, or simply take a relaxing and long bath.
The pandemic and remote work might have caught you off guard. Nonetheless, with these useful tips, your private and professional lives will be perfectly balanced.