There is one thing in particular that expat Mantas Malisauskas wishes the Danes were better at when welcoming an expat in the workplace.
Unfortunately, 2021 did not turn out to be the return to a normal daily routine we hoped for. At least not yet.
Instead, we have to adapt to a new reality in which we will likely be working from home the rest of the winter.
At IDA we hear from more and more members who do not thrive at their home office where they are far away from their colleagues and perhaps a tad too close to their families.
That is why our working life consultant Eva Jacobsen has prepared some pieces of advice for how to organise your home workplace with all that is needed. For, as she says:
“There are rules for the physical set-up – but that is only a small part of what constitutes a workplace. Even though you have the best table, the best chair, and the right keyboard – it is, at the end of the day, the surrounding aspects that contribute to your wellbeing while you work. “
Are you stressed or pressured from working from home and do you need to talk to someone about the difficulties of your working life?
Book a talk with one of IDA’s career counsellors who are experienced in helping IDA’s members resolve issues in their professional life.
The big monster here is loneliness. You can both be lonely when surrounded by a noisy family or when you are all alone – and anywhere in between.
The lockdown and the isolation from our colleagues and managers unfortunately provide a breeding ground for fantasies and worst-case scenarios to take shape in our minds.
We struggle to build and maintain trust in each other when we are distanced from one another. We go from teamwork to individualisation. And our sense of justice is constantly fed with questions like “Why can my co-worker go to work when I can’t?” and “Why did I not get to work on this exciting project?”
We need to turn those three things upside down the best we can. They are each key components in our wellbeing at work. That is why we should:
If your body is not well, your work effort, mood and overall wellbeing are likely to be affected as well. Still, this is where many relax on looking after themselves. Here are some simple steps that really pay off:
The rules are crystal clear. If you work from home for more than one day on average, your employer must make sure that you have the right equipment, according to The Working Environment Act (arbejdsmiljøloven).
The difficult part is to put the rules into practice and furnish your home working place properly. You play the leading part in making that happen.