Overcoming the 2 Pitfalls of Remote Work

It’s been a few years now of us working in hybrid or remote models. Our jobs as communications professionals are easily done online, which is exciting in many ways - like avoiding our morning and evening commute, walking our dog during lunch, or enjoying a hot cup of tea at home on a rainy day, all while being tuned into work.

I have worked exclusively remotely for the past 4 years and while it is a lifestyle that I adore, it does bring a couple of downsides with it; the risk of becoming a couch potato, and the lack of one-on-one chatter and casual networking that an office setting facilitates. 

They say sitting is the new smoking 

The risk of becoming a couch potato is the easiest of the two to solve. In my early work-from-home days, I found myself stuck in the same rinse-and-repeat cycle:

Do you see the common thread? Sitting. Aside from walking my dog, Moxie, I was spending most of my day sitting down. All day, every day. 

Before I knew it my neck and back were paying the price - I shouldn't have trouble stretching at 30 years old, right? Not this much trouble anyway. 

I tried the most often recommended solution for this issue - get a standing desk. This worked for a couple of weeks for me but as it turns out, standing for 8 hours is just as uncomfortable and annoying as sitting for 8 hours. I did mix them both but the pain wasn't going away. 

Then I got a walking pad and tried to walk while working at my standing desk, good idea in theory, right? Horrible in practice. My brain couldn't think properly somehow so I ended up sitting when I needed to focus on something and standing in place to take calls - back to square one. 

Then it dawned on me, I have free will. I can use my walking pad in a context outside my desk - I make the rules here. And so I did. My walking pad is currently set up in front of my TV so now whenever I watch a show, I walk. I find this much easier to balance since watching TV is a passive activity and I get all my steps in - it's a win-win! 

You are on your own, kid

I wish finding a solution for the lack of camaraderie and one on one connection that comes from remote work were just as easy, but that took a bit more time. 

Once upon a time, when we all worked on site going for a quick coffee to the cafe next door was a common everyday occurrence. You’d chat with your coworkers about ongoing projects, experience events in your neighbourhood together and unknowingly brainstorm ideas all of the time. You’d also get to know who they are outside of work. Remote work took that away, and I won't lie, for a year or so that was really hard on my mental health. Feeling isolated and lonely at work can be stressful and take away some of the joy our work brings. 

I know we all remember those times when we’d book a big online chat with entire teams and try to do a virtual game of sorts to lift people’s spirits, which was almost always a bust because everyone felt awkward and scared to participate so instead we were all in a silent virtual room for an hour - no thanks! 

I find in remote work you often have one-to-one calls with colleagues, which are a great way to learn how to work together and to move projects along. We also tend to have team calls with the same purpose - all of which are good and useful. But what about the casual chatter? 

Here’s what I did, and do, to fight the loneliness that comes with remote work. Virtual coffee chats. Sounds super simple right? The good news is that it is! 

I book 15-minute coffee chat calls with different colleagues, from my team or beyond. I also book evening coffee (decaf) chats with former colleagues and new connections. 

After doing this for a couple of months, I began to realize that I dont feel quite as lonely as I did before, I get to know who the people around me are, as people not just as coworkers. I get to reconnect with people I haven't spoken with in a while and feel that sense of human connection that was stripped away from our workday. 

I hope this helps you in one way or another, and feel free to book a coffee chat with me anytime! 

(Bonus points if you get the Taylor Swift title reference!)