In early 2020, the pandemic turned the world on its ear. Very few people were expecting it, and it has caused massive changes in many different niches and industries. For instance, it has brought about a revolution of working from home. With companies using various software suites and platforms to monitor their employee activities.
Men who suddenly find themselves working from home right now might not be entirely sure how to conduct themselves. If you are one of these individuals, you might have had a set routine before Covid-19 hit. But now, everything is different. Maybe you’re having difficulty adjusting as you wait to get a vaccine that can return a sense of normalcy.
Let’s talk about how some of the men out there can adjust to working from home.
Should You Get Dressed and Shave Every Day?
Let’s say that many of your workplace duties are the same right now. You’re doing the same tasks or working on the same projects you were before the pandemic, but you’re doing it via an online software suite.
You might not be sure about whether you should dress for work every day and shave like you usually would. Before, you might have gone to work clean-shaven every morning, wearing a suit and tie. At the very least, maybe your work wanted you to come in sporting business-casual attire. Which might have been a collared shirt and khakis.
It seems likely that you won’t need to hire a lawyer to defend your honor if you don’t do all of that anymore. It’s probably okay if you go a few days without shaving. And you can work in your sweat pants if you don’t feel like dressing yourself.
The real determining factor will probably be whether your boss has to see you that day. If you have a Zoom meeting, then shaving and dressing in work attire probably makes sense.
Also, some men report that they can’t focus and get in “work mode” if they’re still wearing pajamas and they’re unshaven. If you feel that way, you might want to go through your usual pre-pandemic morning work routine. So that you can get into the proper mindset.
Try to Have Normal Work Hours
What many employers are finding out is that working from home isn’t the bad idea they always thought that it was. That’s because there are software suites now that they can use to monitor what their employees are doing at all times.
If you’re one of the men who are working from home right now, and you’re using those software platforms. You can often stay in a work frame of mind if you try to keep the same hours that you did before. You might not have the same commute that you once did, but you can clock into work at the same time. And the software will confirm that you did so.
You can take the same lunch hour that you did before. If your spouse or partner can also work from home, you might eat lunch together, since that’s something you probably couldn’t do before. That should make both of you happy, and it’s one of the unexpected pandemic perks among the many drawbacks.
Shut Your Door if You Need To
Some men feel like they can’t concentrate on their work as well at home as they could when they’d go into a brick-and-mortar office. This is one potential working from home drawback. You associate home with relaxation, and it’s hard to get away from that mentality.
You might set up a part of the house or apartment where you can work uninterrupted. Maybe you have an office, or perhaps you have a finished basement you can designate as your workspace.
You will probably need a shutting door that keeps the rest of the family away while you work. If you have kids, you can explain to them how you need some quiet time during the day. And if you close that door, they should not bother you unless it’s for something important.
Once the pandemic is behind us, many men might go back to their work lives as usual. However, since working from home’s popularity has increased, this might be something that you can enjoy going forward.
A time might come when you can talk to your bosses about that, and maybe they’ll be okay with it. For now, try to stay on task and make the most of this new and unusual situation.