Due to the coronavirus crisis, work and private life are becoming increasingly disrupted. But what will things look like after the crisis?
“Working from home as a home environment in which you can concentrate and work productively ” – until a few months ago, this description was entirely accurate. Within your own four walls, you could continue working on projects or make business calls undisturbed without being distracted by colleagues. Of course, this is still the case in many cases. However, until recently, the option of working from home was often something special and not standardized everywhere. The decision to work from home was made on a voluntary basis. With the onset of the coronavirus crisis, it became a compulsory measure in many cases and many professionals feel it is just that. Working from home is now a major challenge, especially for those who have to combine job, family and household.
The boundary between private and professional life is becoming increasingly blurred
Many people also work more from home than in the office, as there is no real end to the working day and the associated change of location. The home is no longer just a place of retreat to switch off and relax, but is now also a place of work. The boundaries between ‘work’ and ‘life’ are disappearing. In addition, the lack of alternatives for leisure activities and (social) isolation are increasing the temptation to simply continue working. As a result, the balance is increasingly shifting towards the ‘work’ level.
Family and children are among the biggest obstacles to working from home
After the morning rituals, which should be maintained even in these times, we sit down at our desks, do our work, then take a lunch break and continue until the hourly target has been met. For many, the separation of business and private life continues to work well. However, anyone who also has a 24/7 job as a mother or father due to the closure of daycare centers and schools knows that the reality is very different right now. Between answering emails, phone calls and video conferences, children often need support with their schoolwork at home and are looking for their parents’ attention. Consistently working for several hours at a time no longer works.
In a recent survey of 2,500 professionals who currently have the option of working from home, conducted by the Berlin-based survey institute Civey, around a fifth of respondents said that disruptions caused by family and children were one of the biggest obstacles for them. In addition, around one in three said that they were less focused when working from home in the current situation.
New everyday life with more variable blocks
This new and unfamiliar mix of both worlds requires creative solutions and flexible models. When and where will it be possible to work? Who will look after the children during this time? Are there situations that can be used to work undisturbed? Can work be distributed to off-peak times? Many people are currently dealing with these and similar questions. If both parents are working, it is important to coordinate and find a joint solution. For very few people, it works if one partner completely isolates themselves and concentrates on work while the other takes care of the family and vice versa.
A strict separation of work, family and leisure time is almost impossible for most people in the current situation. Instead, the blocks are becoming more variable: instead of eight hours of work and the rest of the day family and leisure time, the day could look like this: for example, three to four hours of work could be followed by other commitments such as shopping or homeschooling with the children, then work again and so on. The “new daily routine” is organized around fixed appointments such as online meetings, conference calls, doctor’s appointments, etc., and more use must be made of gaps. This requires very good planning. Nevertheless, something can always come up and we have to react flexibly and adjust our schedule accordingly.
Work-life balance in the truest sense of the word
When normality returns to our lives at some point, this more flexible organization may be retained. Perhaps the crisis will offer us the opportunity to let go of our still quite rigid everyday structures and plan anew. The business buzzword ‘work-life balance’ takes on a whole new meaning. The risk here is not being able to satisfy all interests at the same time. You can’t work too much or have too much private time. Everyone has to find the right way to reconcile work, family and leisure time. Rules must be established that allow a good balance between ‘work’ and ‘life’. It is also important to consciously take time off work and switch off. Issues that are not urgent can still be tackled tomorrow.
An article by Martin Krill, Managing Partner of HAGER.
