Occupational psychology when working from home

Many of us are working at home because of the current situation. But it's not always easy to keep work and private life separate. Even those who are already familiar with working from home can find it difficult to structure their day in the same way as at the office. SWICA's Prevention Management team has put together a few tips so that you can be 100% productive and efficient when working from home:

1. Choosing the right clothes

You are faced with your first decision as soon as you get out of bed. What clothes should you wear when you don't have to go into the office? Business casual or comfortable tracksuit bottoms? We actually recommend business casual. What we wear influences our state of mind and evokes certain associations; the result is that we work in a more concentrated way. Deliberately choosing which clothes to wear is also a good ritual for starting and ending the working day.

2. Avoiding social isolation

In the office, lively discussions tend to happen automatically. Short breaks are the norm at most places of work. But when you're working from home, you quickly get the feeling of being socially isolated. This makes it all the more important to take deliberate breaks to communicate with your colleagues. This can be achieved very easily through video-conferencing. You can also arrange to meet friends for lunch or after work. But in these coronavirus times only virtual meetings are recommended.

3. Choosing the right workplace

Everyone has their favourite place at home. Maybe it's the sofa or the comfortable armchair in the reading corner. However, working from the sofa is not a good idea. We recommend using a room that is completely separate from the rest of the living space. This will make it easier to keep your work life separate from your home life. You should also work at a table or desk that is large enough to comfortably hold your keyboard, mouse and any other equipment.
If it's not possible for you to work in a separate room, you should talk to your family about office hours. In other words, you should all agree on times when you can be disturbed at work and times when you can't.

4. Rituals - keeping work and private life separate

Rituals can also help to keep work and private life separate. For example, we advise that you tidy your desk at the end of the working day, just as you would in the office. You could also go for a walk (symbolising your return journey home from the office), or perhaps phone a good friend, or consciously change your clothes. In this way, you deliberately draw a line between work and leisure.

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SWICA - your professional OHM partner

SWICA's occupational health management (OHM) programme aims to minimise absenteeism and presenteeism, strengthen the potential for greater health, and improve the general wellbeing of employees. OHM combines all the measures aimed at preventing or reducing absences due to illness or accident. You can find out more about occupational health management here.


08.04.2020