I’m not going to lie; I LOVE not having to commute to an office. Since the beginning of the pandemic my productivity has gone up a lot, and that isn’t just busy-ness, that is solid value-add; I can support even more client’s and their career aspirations when I’m not on the road (and searching for parking) 2+ hours a day. This was a big AH-HA for many professionals during this unprecedented circumstance. However, there is an ugly back-spin to this virtual world, and it comes at the expense of your well-being. You are given less opportunity to be playful at work. No joking around in the coffee room, no being pleasantly surprised when your boss decides to participate in “ugly sweater day” (and then really commits to wearing the most tragic of sweaters for the whole day, even in client meetings). Even when your organization offers these opportunities for play while working remotely, you may not be interacting with your boss that day via video conference, and hearing about their ugly sweater on a Teams chat is not the same as seeing your boss walking around the office in outrageously clashing colors. You just don’t have the same access to play at work that you did while in the office AND, play is really important for your career:
Feeling isolated at work? When was the last time you played? You can create play for yourself by taking breaks and looking for light-heartedness in other ways; I've never watched more quick video clips of stand-up comedy throughout the day then I have during the pandemic as a way to get a genuine laugh during my work day. But what is really needed to blast feeling isolated or depleted is shared fun with your team-mates. Here are some options to consider bringing to your virtual workplace:
Having more fun at work is an important (though often over-looked) way to more deeply connect to what you do and who you do it with …and now that we have seen more of each other’s pets, families, interior décor and lounge-wear then we ever thought we would, maybe it’s OK to spend more time being a little silly on-line together too.
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I believe in empowering others in many tangible ways. When I learn new career strategies or see something that might help others, I share it using my blog and website. Archives
January 2023
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