Tell someone that you work from home and you fill their imagination with ideas of pyjamas, ‘duvet days’, and cookie jars. “The easy option,” as it’s often, and mistakenly, referred to.
But you and I know that it’s not always the easy option – and that misconception can contribute to how home workers see themselves and take care of themselves.
So, what are some of the misconceptions of working from home? And where do they come from?
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Historically-speaking, flexible working was first requested by mothers and less able people. Nowadays, it’s a choice for many different kinds of workers, and yet there’s still a bit of a prejudice that flexible working is somehow a ‘soft option’ and that flexible workers are less competitive or productive than their office-bound counterparts.
This kind of negative perception can chip away at people’s self esteem, and lead to home workers not properly looking after themselves. Office workers, on the other hand, are very aware of their entitlements to breaks and refreshments, and equally aware of any infringements on their personal health and safety in the office.
San Sharma (@WorkSnugSan) is community manager at WorkSnug.
Home workers, myself included, can start to feel guilty about the way they work, put pressure on themselves to work harder and forget to eat properly, exercise, take breaks or get outside.
For example, a little considered side-effect of working from home is that we move about less. Some days are as long as long haul flights, but I bet you make more effort to get up and move around on a flight, non?
Here’s WorkSnug founder Richard Leyland (@WorkSnugRichard) going out of his mind, working from home…
‘Take care’ tips
Now, I know we’re all adults and can look after ourselves, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded every once in a while. So, here a little print-out-and-keep guide to taking care of yourself when working from home:
- Where possible, stand up or walk about while working, like when you’re thinking or on the phone
- Don’t stay in the same place for different tasks – use different environments around your home or in a local laptop-friendly workspace to vary your work position throughout the day
- Try keeping a log of the hours you work to the nearest half hour to help you identify unhealthy work patterns
- Schedule time for food shopping, so that you always have good, healthy food in the house – and don’t skip meals!
- Take a break outside of the house at least once a day
- If you live on your own, make sure you plan face-to-face meetings with others during the week
- Take regular breaks, and move about when you do – go into the garden, do some physical exercise or a domestic task (oh joy)
What do you do to take care of yourself when you work from home? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo credit: Bibi
