- Home: The New Workplace - May 3, 2020
By Anna Lorence
One of the greatest impacts of the Covid-19 crises is the workplace upheaval. People all over the world right now are adjusting to working remotely from home. For many, the change brings a variety of struggles.
A big issue parents face is working at home, with children, finding time to manage both. Glennallen High School guidance counselor and new mom Hannah Silvey is grateful to have more time with her just turned one year-old, but she’s really not getting much work done. “I’m working during naps and after he goes to bed,’ she wrote over email, “which means that I don’t get a break all day. I’m exhausted. Grateful to have a job, but exhausted.’
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park employee Russ Scribner described during a phone call how his son’s various April Fool pranks made the first few days of working at home also a struggle.
So what are some ways that people in Glennallen, Alaska are finding space that works for them? Well, the answers range. Some have converted areas of homes into makeshift offices, clearing the living room or dining room and setting up a desk. Others are working with computers from the comfort of their recliners. High school math teacher Jared Dale had an outside priority. “Having an abundance of natural light was important to me, so my living room with several windows was selected. It is nothing extraordinary – just a desk and chair, a work-provided computer and a trash can.’
Another tip for working at home: write your schedule out on a whiteboard and place it in a prominent place. The act of writing out your goals and having a visual reminder will help you accomplish them. “Prioritize what’s important,’ Hannah Silvey said in regards to being a mom working at home. “There is no way to give all of my effort to both my job and my family right now and I’m choosing my family. If that means I have to skip meetings or email supervisors that things didn’t get done,” she said, “I’m honest with them and myself about what I need to do during this time.’
Misty Rude, the high school theatre teacher, talked about the psychological benefit that getting ready for whatever the day holds. “Keeping to a schedule helps tremendously. Getting up and actually getting dressed, including hair and makeup is more important than people realize.” She pointed out that slogans like “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have’ became–and remain–popular because of that reality. “People perform better mentally when they are outwardly set up to do so’ She stated over an email.
“People perform better mentally when they are outwardly set up to do so”
From not having access to things such as office supply closets or printers, to trying to do work while your husband is stuck at home and decides now is a good time to renovate the house– the typical work-life balance has drastically changed over these past weeks.
Though, as actress Angela Lansbury once said: “Better to be busy than busy worrying.”
Anna Lorence, a first-year student from Glenallen, Alaska, is a UAF digital journalism major, with a minor in French. She isn’t sure what she plans to do with her degree yet, but hopes to figure it out before graduating. In her free time, Lorence she enjoys creative writing, photography, and anything that involves being outdoors, mainly hiking.