COMPLIANCE
Make homeworking work for you
Steven Watmore, product manager, Sage UK and Ireland, discusses his experiences of shifting to homeworking, and then a hybrid working pattern, and how he overcame the associated challenges, also providing some tips for readers W hen I started working from home due to Covid-19 in 2020, it was more from necessity than want.
Workspaces Crucially, the biggest mistake I made at first was not creating a separate workspace, which would have allowed me to close the door on work. I initially set up in my dining room, which, as well as impacting my family and reducing our usable home space, also meant I had an ‘always on’ mentality and
would work at the wrong times. This was often far too late at night. This approach was not only ineffective, but also detrimental to my health by impacting my sleep patterns. It also meant I didn’t take adequate breaks in my day. Even tea breaks became a few seconds due to my proximity to the kitchen. One of the benefits of working in an office can be the separation of spaces and the ability to walk away from the desk and use the facilities available. At home, there was too much blurring of spaces. I made the jump to creating a distinct workspace in a spare bedroom, and this had an immediate positive effect on my physical well-being, which was aided by now having a more appropriate desk and chair setup. However, the biggest impact was on my mental well-being.
I’d genuinely never considered working from home and if it was offered to me five years ago, I’d have said no without a second thought. Now, however, we’ve moved into the hybrid working era, and it’s key I maximise the benefits (to me and to
Sage) that this flexibility can offer. When I first started, I had all the
technical capabilities to work from home: a computer, screens, internet, etc., but hadn’t really considered how to ensure having the technology would help me to achieve my working from home goals. I didn’t really plan it, but who could? After all, the lockdown wasn’t something anyone could plan for.
Setting up a defined workspace can help mental and physical well-being
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | February 2023 | Issue 87 16
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