More and more companies are opting for their employees to work from home. COVID-19 has changed the way people do a lot of things that were previously thought to be unthinkable. Many corporations have moved their operations to the digital realm. Because of the high infection rate of COVID-19, normal day-to-day operations became too dangerous to maintain.
Aside from the added cost of keeping the workplace clean and sanitized, it became more expensive for companies to halt physical operations when one of their employees get sick. The cost of office upkeep is wearing down on them as well. It is reported that companies are opting into the remote working mindset, if entirely possible. There are a lot of pros outweighing cons at the moment regarding remote work. It is here to stay in the meantime.
Even if the vaccine is now readily available for most, it’s not likely that normal life will ever return. There are reports of people getting infected by new strains. New formulations of the vaccines will likely be needed to prevent re-infection and outbreaks. There are also reports that some companies are considering never going back to an office setting ever again.
Some companies have decided that cost-wise, it might be more practical to maintain remote offices, especially for those in the upper echelon of management. Unfortunately, most of us will still have to endure Zoom fatigue for months to come. There are estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic will end by next year if we achieve a certain portion of herd immunity by the end of the year. 70% herd immunity is the minimum requirement for us to get back to normal in every country.
With that in mind, it is only natural that we do our best to reduce the amount of stress and anxiety we experience from going on the daily video calls. What can we do to decrease the daily stress we experience from tackling office problems through video calls?
Wear Make-up and Accessories
What little reprieve we can get, we take. Wearing make-up and accessories for our office video meetings is not a bad idea to simulate what normal life was like pre-pandemic. There are a lot of things rendered useless by the pandemic. Our outside accessories and our makeup regiments were two of those things completely leveled by the pandemic. Since people were not going outside, they had little to no reason to apply nor wear make nor accessories. A lot were forced to disregard their office wear in the meantime.
Wearing make-up and accessories are just a few of the ways you can re-live the way we used to do things. Whether it is to wear women’s rings for a meeting with your boss, or wearing earrings for your collaboration with colleagues, have some use for the accessories you invested in. Looking pretty doesn’t have to be limited to going outside. Wearing make-up is totally forgivable and appropriate, even just for your virtual parties.
Get a Standing Desk
Getting a standing desk will not only make your virtual life more acceptable, but it will also make you a bit healthier. Even in the pandemic, people are still constantly sitting down. Because everyone was forced to stay at home and do all the work on their laptops, remotely working almost made no difference to office work. People spend an average of seven to ten hours a day just sitting down.
People spend most of their lives in such a sedentary state that multiple health problems are propping up for the average person. Those who spend most of the day merely sitting down are at higher risk of getting diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Getting a standing desk will force you to move around and improve your posture. It will also let you avoid the risk of developing diseases related to a sedentary lifestyle.
Reject Calls Outside Office Hours
Have some boundaries and respect your own time. Rejecting virtual conferences when it is not within the bounds of your office time is only respectful. While stress cannot be avoided, it can be managed. It is better to contain your stress during the hours when you are being paid. Rejecting schedules that go over your office hours is necessary to keep your sanity amidst the pandemic. The world is much better when people can spend time doing things they like doing unrelated to work.
Keeping sane is easy, even by doing the most mundane of things. Working from home will be part of our lives moving forward. By maintaining a level head and doing even the simplest of things, you can have well-balanced remote work.