For many of us working life is defined by a journey. We may dream of a short walk or ride to the office, but for most the commute comprises travel by car, bus or train and, with the sudden move to working from home, a significant part of the day has now been stripped away.
Working away from the office also brings with it many other challenges and the relentless juggle between work and home life, not to mention the unpredictability when children are thrown into the mix…
As with everything in life, there are different positives and negatives to be taken out of a new situation by everybody, but just how well are we adapting to our new circumstances? How do my colleagues feel?
Kirsty (KCS Professional Services):
Alarm silenced. Dog walked. Coffee poured. Laptop powered on. Groundhog day.
Is that how you feel?
After six weeks of lockdown (and counting), it’s easy to start feeling frustrated at the monotony that lockdown life brings.
But… although I’m lucky enough to not have a nightmare commute ‘normally’, I can’t help but love the fact my commute-less day means I am starting my day earlier, in a more positive mindset and saving a lot of money whilst I’m at it. My creativity levels are up, I’m working on projects that potentially I might not have had the chance to work on and I’m feeling positive about the part I can play in supporting KCS Professional Services through this time.
Kay (KCS Sales): I’m working from home supporting my schools, a lot of which are open due to helping Key Workers. It’s been challenging for me as I have a 14-year-old son and have been trying to help with his homework and getting the balance right, but we have cracked it and not argued for ten days now! On the positive side, I taught my son how to cook a roast, as well as fish and plenty of other things, so now he takes it in turn to help.
Jade (KCS Marketing): Before lockdown, I never fully appreciated how lucky I was to work in an office with colleagues who I get on so well with. I enjoy what I do and am pleased to be able to carry it on. Working from home has been interesting... and the juggle between homeschooling two hyperactive girls and working for KCS is fun! But we’re managing.
I feel our bond as a family has become stronger than ever. The girls don't want to play on their own and want mummy to play every game with them, which is tiring but nice. We speak about what’s going on in the world and I am so proud of how they are coping with all the changes we have had to make. It’s not easy for an adult let alone a child.
As much as I am loving my time with them, I have to ensure some downtime as well. I've been scheduling in video calls with friends and have even taken up meditation!
Paul (Marketing): Working from home is something I’m used to and is usually when I’m at my most productive, but with children to care for and my wife also working, finding the balance isn’t easy. Luckily the company are very understanding and have been flexible with their approach, which has kept the work flowing and my team ticking. I quickly realised that with two people working full time and a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old to keep busy, making sure they're safe and happy is what matters, rather than panicking too much about what they should or shouldn’t be doing.
Nikki (KCS Sales): I was used to a busy diary with face-to-face customer meetings, but have adapted to the current situation to ensure my customers receive the same level of service they are used to.
When I’m not working, I shop each weekend for my father, who is on the vulnerable list. Ensuring that my family are safe and healthy is a balancing act, but there are some positives: I created a new home office and my cat, Matty, is delighted to have me at home, often joining in the conference calls!
Victoria (Head of Sales): I have been with KCS for 13 years and in that time I have loved the fact that my role means every day is different, but it feels very strange to me to not have a commute of some description every day. In fact, since lockdown, I have washed the car more than I have driven it! On the rare occasion I have used the car, it has felt like quite a treat to see something other my usual view, with the music blaring… and no traffic!
On the flip side, my partner and I are both working from home and have a lot of calls and video conferencing so we work with one upstairs and one down. The challenge with home working is knowing when to switch off which I think many are trying to find that balance.
At the weekends we try and balance finding productive things to do (we have managed to decorate several rooms and paint garden fences!), with some well-needed fun downtime (on a Friday night we do an online quiz, Saturday is movie night and Sunday we video call friends and family!) For me, the biggest challenge is not seeing everyone, but we are finding new ways to make up for it by finding a way of staying in touch and safe.
The juggle is an on-going game of buckaroo finding the balance every week and being grateful for the small things and taking time to feel.
As Kirsty puts it:
‘Life isn’t always smiles and rainbows.
There have been days when being the perfect employee, mum, home-school teacher, daughter, friend, chef, cleaner, entertainer, dog-walker, quizmaster and everything else in between has just felt too damn hard.
But that is ok.
We are only human and as humans, we are meant to feel ups and downs. We are meant to feel emotion. We are meant to feel.
Life will return to normal, albeit maybe a slightly different new normal, and we all just need to be thankful that we have come out the other side healthy – physically and mentally – and with a newfound gratitude for everything we once took for granted.
Thankful, happy and grateful – that’s how I feel.’
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KCS can make things easier for anyone struggling at home, with everything you need to help with homeschooling, including arts and craft supplies, curriculum and learning resources and free downloadable worksheets and colouring guides. Visit www.kcs.co.uk to see how we can help.