Many organisations have implemented a company-wide work-from-home policy off late.
Certain areas are under complete lockdown. Also people with underlying health issues are in self-quarantine.
Given the circumstances, your company may have brought in a remote working policy.
And on your part, this may call for significant adjustments. Perhaps you have lost your way at work.
The things that initially seemed attractive like unsupervised coffee breaks and constant access to snacks, are slowly becoming a psychological drag.
It's inevitable for your morale to take a nosedive right now. If that’s the truth, don't worry. You are not alone.
Follow the points outlined here to reboot and activate your morale.
Think like a CEO
Adopting an “I can do it” approach will help you sail through tough times.
You need to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
Also try to focus on opportunities to make a business more viable.
Inculcate a habit to question, probe, and process what you are experiencing – like a CEO!
This can be followed by developing a habit of noticing insights and patterns.
A questioning mind-set is not just forward-looking, but also retrospective.
And this habit of mind can set you apart as well as boost your morale.
Stop procrastinating
Procrastination is a trap that you may fall into while working from home.
If you have been briefly delaying an important task for a genuinely good reason, then you are not necessarily procrastinating.
But putting things off indefinitely is procrastination for sure.
To overcome the habit of delaying important tasks, break your work into doable chunks.
The goal is to make your work as easy as possible.
Focus on doing, and not on avoiding.
Tackle tasks as soon as they arise, rather than letting them build up over another day.
If possible, ask a colleague or your manager to check upon your work status.
In the end, promise yourself a reward on successful completion of the task.
Indulge in self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is like strength training. It is basically how you believe in being effective.
It plays a huge role in your ability to handle difficulties minus stress.
The greater your self-efficacy, the more you enjoy being challenged.
This way you can grow stronger through appropriate levels of challenge with time.
Follow these practices to enhance your self-efficacy.
• Aim to feel the ‘thrill of victory’ in every project
• Set stretch goals to challenge yourself
• Ask your manager for opportunities to lead projects
• Access tools, resources, and courses to train yourself
Communicate
Avoid ambiguity so that you and your colleagues are not anxious at any stage.
This will stop you or anyone else from assuming the worst.
If possible, watch some stress and resilience videos or participate in mindfulness webinars.
Communicate to share your learnings with your colleagues and friends. This will help you cope with a difficult situation.
What happens next is that even if it's bad news, you will feel less stressful.
So during difficult and uncertain times, try to ramp up your positive communication as much as possible.
Strengthen relationships
If you have strong personal relationships, you are automatically more resilient.
You have the ability to overcome stressful events more quickly, and you are less likely to get sick, and more likely to recover from life threatening illnesses.
Similarly, if you have a strong working relationship with your peer group and management, you are automatically a resilient employee.
Do not become a grim, straight-faced, no-nonsense working machine. Care about your boss, peers and team.
Foster strong relationships while working from home.
Follow corporate idols and role models to implement better teamwork, mutual respect, courtesy, and a sense of care at work.
These steps will automatically culminate into high productivity and loyalty among everyone around you.
Remove unnecessary sources of stress
Adding stress during this global economic downturn will do no good for anyone.
To avoid getting stressed, try not to squander precious energy and resources on ineffective processes, ridiculous rules and policies, and other obstacles.
Also, you cannot eliminate all sources of frustration and stress by yourself.
So raise a flag if needed and communicate your roadblocks to your HR point of contact in time.
Practice this in your personal life
Boost your morale generally by choosing something that you can do this weekend.
Read an inspirational book or listen to a motivational podcast, or cook a hearty meal for your loved ones at home.
All you need to do is set yourself a morale-boosting goal right now and plan to achieve it.
Above listed points are just a handful of many tools that can help you boost your morale.
Yet, you are still missing after-work parties, time spent with friends and weekend getaways.
So to buck up your spirits, try attending online happiness classes and motivation sessions.
Please make this wise decision today and start prioritising your morale. Also, always remember that this too shall pass.
Krish Charlie...✒
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