Whatever the model, we have entered a new era of work. An era that will need new skills from leaders, where they may not get the chance encounters to ask how someone is, where interaction is quite often through a computer screen. It’s also an era where leaders will need to place high levels of trust in all colleagues, even those they have only worked with for a short period of time. It’s here that we encounter one of the main causes of stress home workers have felt. Whether intentional or not, many workers have felt more monitored working remotely than when they’re in the office. Managers checking in constantly can cause stress and irritation. The reality is that mostly people will be at their desk, but what happens if they’re making a cup of tea, take a walk, or happen not to be at their desk when a manager calls? Making a cup of tea in an office is normal, but to a controlling manager not answering a video call could be construed badly. Finding perspective can be hard to when isolated and alone. A difficult project where the deadline may be missed is something that happens in offices across the country, but when alone it can feel more of a disaster than it ought to.  

There are of course more serious matters than being monitored or missing a deadline. Earlier in the year, the charity Rights of Women found in their survey that women had seen an upsurge in online sexual harassment whilst working from home. It’s bad enough in an office, but I should imagine feeling uncomfortable in your home must be awful, and HR teams and leaders will need to develop procedures to adequately deal with these new types of harassment. 

However, I think the main source of stress comes from the “always on” culture working from home, technology, and COVID has ushered in. Teams may now all be working at different times and emails may be sent at all times of the day. The computer is only next door and during lockdown when there was little else to do, many decided to work more. Many have exchanged a long commute and the separation of work and home for no commute, but as Alison Brittain, the CEO of Whitbread, called it “work/life blur”. 

Many of us are still learning about home working. However, in my role as a recruiter, I’m lucky to speak to a wide variety of people, and I think some things seem key to successfully working from home and ensuring that the stresses of work don’t overwhelm you. Firstly, you must have a good workspace. Younger people have really struggled working from home in my experience. It’s not that they too don’t like flexibility, but so many live in flatshares and they don’t have an adequate workspace. Secondly, you must try and switch off. The world may now be “always on”, but you can’t be, and doing something other than work is good for you. I’d also urge colleagues to have virtual break out meetings. To have a coffee together just as they would in the office to ensure the feeling of camaraderie is still there. It’s so easy to feel disconnected from a firm when you’re at home. It’s in this area we feel days in the office will take on a different feeling than in the past with teams using the time to socialise and collaborate more than in the past. 

My own view is that the office isn’t dead, but it’s futile to fight the change that has happened. If we can make hybrid working the norm and productivity increases, then we may well see some real positives. In the initial stages of the pandemic, managers had one thought – the safety of their teams. Whilst the immediate danger dissipated over time, firms will be judged on how well they support their colleagues moving forwards and home working isn’t a silver bullet. This responsibility will extend well beyond the four walls of the office and leaders will have to work harder to ensure mental health doesn’t suffer.