“There is always something productive/rewarding to do for work if I am feeling bored or restless, so I have to make sure I don't do that after hours—only to feel more tired the next day. So, I stocked up on puzzles, books, video games, cookbooks, and created a checklist I called 'If I'm bored, I can....' with a long list of ideas of what I can do instead of work in the evenings. It's working well—and I plan to check off each item at least once.”
Letting the tools tell you when the workday is done
Joe Topasna, HR Project Manager at Dropbox says he’s intentionally structured his day to keep his typical working hours. “That said, there's more predictability for when my day starts since I no longer have to deal with the Muni wildcard.”
“I use the ‘working hours' feature on Google calendar so folks know when I'm signed off for the day,” he adds. “My team's norms around respecting others' calendars and working hours have been instrumental in keeping 'office hours.’ We all have a mutual understanding that our days have a start and an end.”
Working parents are in survival mode
Kate Kruizenga, People & Strategy Operations at Dropbox, points out that while working from home might mean more time and flexibility for some, for parents, it feels like taking on a second job if you don’t have childcare assistance.
“I previously [worked from home] a couple days a week and found it fantastic to see others also remote, and demonstrate more inclusive ways of working and sharing the conversation beyond those ‘in the conference room.’ Lots of good stuff, no doubt,” she says. “[But] let's not over-celebrate the creative, wonderful, silver-lining [working from home] season we're in at this particular moment.”
“Working parents are in an impossible spot with no end date where it's not working from home—it's working from home and providing childcare all at the same time,” she explains. “We don't have extra time. Instead we're up from 6am to midnight juggling work and childcare."