A sense of accomplishment is vital for workers who are uncertain when they will return to the office. Increased communication from managers and clarity about goals and how performance is being measured helps workers maintain a sense of their performance. Writing for Forbes.com, leadership coach Chris Westfall offers these tips for helping workers be more productive in WFH settings:
Help workers get comfortable
We’ve all heard horror stories about people trying to get through their work days from makeshift work spaces and turning clothes hampers and ironing boards into desks. Many employers are offering WFH stipends to help workers purchase home office equipment. Shopify and Twitter gave their employees $1,000 each for better chairs, standing desks, improved lighting and other WFH equipment.
Encourage work boundaries
If workers are always on, their work over the long term will suffer. This ties closely to creating a separate work space. Physical boundaries between work space and living space can help workers set regular schedules and shut down at the end of a work shift.
Reconfigure the water cooler
Spontaneous office chats that foster camaraderie and creativity are no longer happening. Leaders need to schedule times for team interaction and encourage similar discussions using Slack, Teams or similar technological tools that allow for impromptu chatter. Being isolated doesn’t mean teams can’t stay connected.
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