It has been a little more than a year since we set up the home office offices en masse and we logged in from the living room, bedroom or study. Few people believed at the time that we would still be in the same situation now – a year later. LinkedIn's news editor Liza Jansen shares 10 lessons we can learn from 12 months of home office:
The 'homework burnout' exists
After a few weeks, the first reports appeared that working from home can have an effect on our mental health. For example, research by LinkedIn showed that 42% of HR professionals indicated that working from home affects mental health problems such as anxiety, burnout, isolation and loneliness in their employees.
Hello Balance, nice to meet you
Balance is of course always good, but since last year its importance has become even greater, especially the work/life balance. The boundaries became blurred, and with that, leisure actually became even more important. After the introduction of 'the new normal', we looked en masse for a useful interpretation for the time we normally spend on, for example, traveling to and from work.
The 'new' travel time
Surprisingly, there appear to be professionals who miss the commute to work. Previously, that was a moment of peace:checking the news, reading a book or listening to a podcast. The solution:fake commuting. A walk or bike ride before you start and after you have finished working.
Flexibility remains
Just before the summer of last year, we saw that we were allowed to go to the office a little more. Of course within the then applicable guidelines. This also led to discussion about flexible working. Research from May 2020 already showed that 37% of professionals would like to organize their working day more flexibly after the corona crisis. Flex working seems to be here to stay.
Teaching at home is not something you do for a while
Who would have ever thought that in addition to your work, you would also be teaching your own children? For many of us, this was the reality. And we can only agree that this was a challenge. Various initiatives have been set up to help parents who work at home, such as the appeal by Laura Harbers, for example. As a teacher in training, she was also at home herself, and actively offered her help via LinkedIn to elderly people who work from home. With success!
The picture doesn't have to be perfect
Who does not recognize it:virtual meetings from the living room, bedrooms or from the kitchen. Working from home has ensured that who you are at home has merged with your 'persona' as a professional. Clients or colleagues get a glimpse into your personal life and vice versa. On LinkedIn, we literally see this in the profile photos of members:no longer a business environment and posing in a suit, but a more honest and accurate picture of themselves. Did you also adjust it?
The stigma surrounding unemployment changed
Corona has brought about a shift in prejudice about unemployment. Almost two-thirds of the Dutch (65%) indicate that they are less judgmental about the situation of someone who is unemployed in COVID time. This also means that people dared to ask for help more actively. For example, more than 6 million people worldwide have used the #OpenToWork photo frame since its launch in June 2020.
The power of the community
By working from home, we actually noticed how nice we like to have that one chat with our colleagues every day. On LinkedIn, we saw a 48% increase in the number of conversations on the platform.
Retraining becomes more important
On the one hand there is more competition for the same job, on the other it can be useful for job seekers to search in a different sector than in which they have worked before. Retraining is therefore more important than ever to find a new or next challenge. Online courses can help bridge the knowledge gap. For example, last year LinkedIn helped thousands of people gain new knowledge by releasing 1,000 hours of free learning courses.
New opportunities arise
Despite the economic turmoil, the pandemic has also created opportunities. LinkedIn data shows job growth in new areas as a result of the changes we've all been through over the past 12 months. Functions within online retail, customer service and digital marketing are increasing and instilling new confidence in those actively seeking new opportunities.
