Hi there and welcome. It’s Kerstin Jatho here from 4Seeds Consulting, a transformational coach who shifts people from languishing to flourishing. In this video, I want to talk to you about how to become a virtual employee.
Sounds weird because most probably you have been a virtual employee for the last two years. But really, have you adapted to the process? I think by now we’ve all realised that the eight to five working way has gone. We are now on the dawn of a new way of working, where we can work when we want to, perhaps where we want to. But with that comes different challenges. Because as a virtual employee, it creates different challenges, and many of us are struggling with actually coping with that way of working. And the key thing I want to perhaps recommend or welcome you to do is to start thinking about ‘what was my old working routine like?’, and see how much of that you can bring into your current environment.
So, some normal or current tips I want to leave you with is firstly, dress up. I know it’s the hybrid world, but dress up. You used to do it for the working environment when you used to go into the office. The same applies here. So do the same process. So, for the ladies, if it’s make-up and jewellery and perfume, do it. It makes you feel better. For the men, wear those shirts, wear the aftershave, and shave. It just makes you feel so much better, and it sets a tone in your brain to go, ‘I’m going to work now’.
Plan your day just like you did before, starting with the same way that when you got to the office, how did you start your day? What was your ritual? Obviously, take regular lunch breaks, which now is a little bit more difficult because you don’t have your colleagues around you to perhaps meet and have that cup of tea or the lunch. So, you need to consciously build that.
Consciously develop your own commute way. Previously you took time to travel to work and get ready for the day or that meeting that was ahead of you. And at the end of the day, your commute was disconnecting from work and leaving it behind you. Now your commute is what, two minutes, one minute, maybe even 30 seconds. So go and build in a conscious commute, where you are disconnecting from work. And maybe that is walking around the garden a few times and creating that habit, or maybe washing the dishes as a ritual to go, ‘that is my process to say it’s the end of the day’.
Be clear when your work times are ending. Don’t always work till late at night. So, if you officially finish at five, you finish at five or at seven. Be consciously clear. And a habit that I’ve found very rewarding is to stand up and close that laptop lid as part of an indication that this process is over for today and tomorrow, we engage with work again.
So, you do need to bring in new routines and new habits that work for you as a hybrid employee. Of course, your organisations play a role, but you also have a responsibility to make sure that you create rituals that bring out the best in you and all of us will have different ways that work for us. So, you need to play with things that work for you.
Over to you for sharing your comments and experiences.
How have you adapted to a virtual or hybrid way of working?
About the Author: Kerstin Jatho
Kerstin is the senior transformational coach and team development facilitator for 4Seeds Consulting. She is also the author of Growing Butterfly Wings, a book on applying positive psychology principles during a lengthy recovery. Her passion is to develop people-centred organisations where people thrive and achieve their potential in the workplace. You can find Kerstin on LinkedIn, Soundcloud, YouTube and Facebook.
