Why working from home is the new normal | Learn&Co

Technology has vastly improved over the last 20 years or so, helping to enhance our lives for the better.

One of the major benefits of this that we’ve really had to rely on recently is remote working. The entire world can agree that from early 2020, technology really became our saving grace. This sudden shift has made a large number of companies realise that working from home may soon become the norm.

The changes that Covid-19 has had on businesses
More opportunities for foreign employees
Finding your work/social-life balance

The changes that Covid-19 has had on businesses

The world pretty much shut down from early 2020 and most of us are still feeling the effects. Companies had to adapt to the change or risk going out of business. Once everyone started working from home some companies saw that this new way of business was actually effective!

In the US a few businesses actually decided to sell their offices and start to work permanently from home. Saving money on the rent and other expenses of having a physical location. Businesses saw the many upsides to working from home and that overall staff productivity was not affected. Huge companies like Facebook, Twitter, BP and Microsoft, among a list of others have already partially started working from home and are considering making it permanent in the future.

Will the UK soon decide to follow suit? Many businesses were lucky that they were still able to operate through working from home, while places like restaurants, pubs, cafes and small retail stores weren’t so fortunate.

More opportunities for foreign employees

Having a company that mainly works from home offers many benefits for not only the business itself but the employees. Not having a physical location means that businesses will be open to hiring people from countries all over the world. You may find yourself in a position where you’re required to work with someone whose first language isn’t English.

Businesses always look for bilingual and multilingual employees, whether it’s a priority in the role or not. This is because being versed in multiple languages benefits the business in global partnerships and other important ways of communication. Finding bilingual employees is even more important now that Brexit has gone forth and the UK is no longer in the European Union.

So it could be worth your while to look into learning a second or third language. It would significantly boost your CV, especially in the UK where a tiny 7.7% of the population can speak more than one language.

Finding your work/social-life balance

This is critical when you find yourself working from home. It can be hard to separate your work and social life. You can bring the stresses of work into you personal life and struggle to unwind at the end of the day.

Consider some of the following when you find yourself struggling to find that fine line between work and play.

Prioritise your time

You might find yourself with an endless list of things you need to do. It can be difficult to switch off especially when you’re at home. Prioritise and split up your responsibilities into categories. This will help you to understand what to approach first and what you can push to the back burner for a while.

Urgent and important
Important but not urgent
Urgent but not important
Neither urgent or important

Set your working hours

It’s important to have a schedule, it ensures that you find time throughout the day to complete everything in your planner. Having your work hours set means that you will know when it’s time to stop working. Never forget to make some time for yourself. This ensures that you don’t overwork yourself and fall into a slump.

Know your peak-times

To ensure you make the most of working from home you have to understand how your body works. For example if you’re a morning person then don’t leave your lengthy work for the afternoon or evenings or vice versa. This may make it feel like your tasks are dragging and you may find it difficult to finish anything, so understanding how you best work is an important step.

Create a workspace

Having a space that you dedicate specifically to working is very important, it helps to separate you from your social-self and your work-self. Not only is it good for your mental health but it can also ensure that you don’t blur the lines.

Invest in good equipment for your space, an ergonomic chair, keyboard and desk for example. Having good quality equipment to create a comfortable, safe and relaxing environment. This will be an investment that you will definitely benefit from, not only in the short term, but also long term and will be worth every penny.

Take breaks

Whether you think you have too much work on your plate or not, always take a break. Our brains can only cope with an hour of focused work, with a small 5 minute break in between, so a break doesn’t have to mean 30 minutes to an hour. Remember that 1 hour of focused and undisturbed work is better than 4 – 6 hours of unfocused work. So try not to force yourself to work when you find yourself unable to focus and be productive.

We at Learn&Co understand the evolution and progression of language in the workplace and know that having people from multiple backgrounds, cultural experiences and so on can greatly improve how a business operates.

Our specialised tutors are highly trained and skilled to work with people individually or as a group to help everyone to understand their strengths and weaknesses and ensure they all achieve their long term goals. We are also working with businesses and their employees to help them brush up any crucial language skills that they may already have, so no matter your position, Learn&Co can provide you with personalised lessons to suit your needs no matter what they are.