Technology has made the ubiquity of companies possible and a determining factor is, without a doubt, human talent. In times of remote work, how can employees reconcile their work and personal lives?
Times have changed, of course. Before, the gift of ubiquity was unthinkable, but in the age of the Internet, it is a quality that several economic sectors have come to embrace. “Ubiquity is a word that comes from the Latin word ‘ubique’, which means ‘everywhere’. The Internet is ubiquitous, as it allows businesses to be available to their customers at any time and place.”, explains Costa Rican Master in Business Administration, Carlos Sousa-Lennox Rivera.
According to a study conducted by the International Academy for Transforming Work for Latin America and the CaribbeanBrazil and Argentina are the countries in the region that have been leaders in remote work since 2003: Argentina has more than a million citizens working under this modality and Brazil has around 15 million teleworkers. Mexico and Chile have also taken an important step in adopting this form of work and in Colombia it is becoming more and more important every day.
“This indicates that management philosophers must become noble trainers and developers of the talent of the staff under their charge, guiding them towards results through easy-to-understand methodologies, without fancy words and with the nobility and humility of the great beings of humanity,” says the consultant and business administrator. Juan Carlos Quintero, referring to the current importance of the Human Resources area of companies, since it is clear that the type of worker in them has changed.
For his part, the professor at the University of Seville, Carlos Hervás Gómez, expresses it this way in his book Innovation and research on ubiquitous and mobile learning in Higher Education: “The world of work and business demands a new type of highly flexible and competent worker in a changing world, highly hyperconnected with collaborative, multiplatform and ubiquitous work skills.”
This situation undoubtedly favours productivity and profits for companies, as it has a greater impact, but how can we achieve a work-life balance with employees without affecting their personal lives? What are the limits?
El Ministry of Information and Communications Technology of Colombia recommends the following: “The balance and benefits of teleworking come when a balance is achieved between fulfilling work responsibilities and a healthy performance in domestic life, which is only possible with good communication and understanding by the family of what it means to be a worker in these new times.”
But it must be taken into account, regardless of the position, that the role that each person plays in his or her family cannot be neglected; in this regard, Dr. María Sánchez, e-Health Medical Manager at Cigna Spain, believes that “It is important to keep in mind that, while working from home, we tend to spend more hours at our desks involuntarily; for this reason, it is now more important than ever to know how to organize and correctly manage the hours dedicated to work tasks and family.”
Sánchez advises following these four guidelines to better reconcile teleworking with personal life:
- Follow a daily routine: Establishing a routine allows you to concentrate more on pending tasks and increases your productivity, which is reflected in the fulfillment of projected goals.
- Establish a fixed workspace: This helps you prepare psychologically to take on the tasks of the day and allows you to have the necessary elements to carry out your work activity.
- Have active breaks: Just like if you were in the office, short breaks between blocks of work will help you clear your mind and keep stress levels under control.
- Using social media as a great ally: Social networks allow you to establish communication with your work team and, to the extent that this is fluid and clear, the development of remote work with good results will be facilitated.
For companies, the expert recommends these three points to help employees with this purpose:
- Allow greater flexibility in hours for those with family responsibilities: This will be reflected in the productivity and achievement of company goals, as it will directly impact the good working environment and employee satisfaction.
- Communicate with them and promote contact online to keep office morale high: Leaders are called to have good communication with employees. It is important to motivate them and have a virtual presence that generates a feeling of support so that the teleworker does not feel isolated and without a captain to steer the ship.
- Propose measures to prevent employees from being always connected: Some employees do not set schedules during teleworking and work more than necessary, which generates stress and exhaustion that ends up impacting performance and a good working environment. Measures must be taken to prevent this practice from becoming normal and to promote a balance between work and personal life.
While technology plays a vital role in keeping you connected, setting boundaries will be essential to maintaining good physical and mental health, and a sensible work-life balance.
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