For those of you who are working as corporate executive, majority of your tasks are inseparable to human interaction, whether it is customer relationship, effective communication, or other things that has something to do with interpersonal skills. With Covid-19 and the new normal, it has never been more challenging for most business sectors due to lockdowns which leads to mobility restrictions. Beyond that, your job may intersect with multidisciplinary roles within the organization which requires you to coordinate and collaborate with different functions. Come to think of it, we have taken for granted the convenience of having everyone we need in a place we call office this whole time. However, humans are best-known for their ability to adapt with the environment, and Covid-19 is here to test just that.

With the new normal, people are working remotely the entire day. While some role such as sales executives may have already been used to remote working due to frequent business trips and customer visits, I can say that it is not the case here. As sales manager working in energy industry, I can say remote working as in Work-from-Home (WFH) setup is poles apart from remote working as we know it. Essentially, one binds you to a certain location while the other doesn't. Not to mention the psychological effects of isolation and monotonous routine that may hinders your productivity. With that being said, here are some of my recommendations for corporate employees in general, on coping up with the new working environment, particularly WFH setup.

Invest in a proper home office setup

A proper home office setup must cover the essentials that are required to perform daily tasks that are normally done at the office, and may differ from one person to another. However, the main idea here is making sure you are equipped with tools that can help you work effectively and as efficient as possible. For example, if your work required heavy data analysis or some complex excel sheet operation, you might need a good monitor which can also be used as your second screen. Or, if you happen to live in a studio apartment, it only makes sense to have a dedicated working desk and chair that is ergonomic and convenient. Lastly, since you are going to replace that human interaction with tons of teleconference with coworkers and customers all day long, you might want to consider a decent webcam and speaker or headphone, in addition to reliable internet connection which is a must! I personally added some devices and peripherals, such as a mechanical keyboard, a printer, and lighting to make my tasks more enjoyable to do.

Some people may argue that spending money on home office equipment will not be economically beneficial for a long run. However, even before Covid-19, big corporates such as Dell, Vodafone, and Unilever had promoted flexible remote working as it is experimentally proven contributing to employees' productivities. It is almost assured that other companies will follow the trend sooner or later. Most importantly, it doesn't necessarily cost you a fortune to build your own setup as long as it serves its purpose well - you could also ask if your company could spare some of its budget on employees' home office setup.

Don't ignore the aesthetics

Now that you have your work station in place, the next thing you want to do is making it pleasing to the eye by doing a little bit of decoration. The least thing you can do to make your 8 (or more) working hours alone at home bearable is being in a place that is comfortable and enjoyable, at least visually. Just bear in mind about the practicality of having stuff on your workspace because you don't want it to somehow get in your way.

It could be as simple as managing your cables and go for that neat minimalist look. Alternatively, you could put some of your favorite plants and art pieces around to lighten up your space. Or, if you are into decorative lighting, you can explore LED decoration and other smart lighting technologies for that futuristic concept. All this combined will significantly improve your mood event during the harshest and stressful working day.

Make time for some physical activities

I can't emphasize this enough on the importance of exercising, even during your busiest day of the week. Now that you can practically start working right after getting out of the bed, the amount of physical activities in this new normal situation is concerning. Apart from health benefits that it comes with, there are several other reason on why this is particularly relevant during the new normal.

You need time to destress

Speaking from my personal experience, running in particular helps me to destress my mind after working throughout the day. Running alone will also give you the opportunity to reset, self-introspect, and meditate which is important for your mental health as well. If running is not for you, there are other alternative exercises, both indoor and outdoor that can give just as many benefits - some might require a specific training or guidance. When I am not feeling like running in a specific day, I will just walk at least 10,000 steps or 30 to 45-minutes just so I can get away from work for a moment and decompress.

Physical exercise improves mood, productivity, and brain function

A study from International Journal of Workplace Health Management on 201 volunteer respondents, analysis of focus groups revealed 13 out of 17 criteria exhibiting positive outcomes in performance, which were almost exclusively linked to changes in mood. On top of that, you could also find other researches and studies showing the correlation between physical exercises and productivity. With risks of burnout and exhaustion because of the new normal, physical exercises not only keeps you in your best shape professionally, but also as benefits you on your personal relationship.  

Your immune system will thank you

Physical exercise increases the blood flow as your muscles contract, which leads to increase in the circulation of immune cells that roams your body. Research also showed an increase immune cells around the body for up to three hours after a 45-minute walk. The catch here is that physical exercise needs to be done consistently and not just a one day per week activity.

After all, who doesn't want to look good when the pandemic is over?

No one can say for certain how long this pandemic is going to last. However, staying in shape helps boosting your confidence during your interaction with coworkers and people in your surrounding in general.

Catching up with coworkers, friends, and families

This is a topic that I've found out long ago but only recently realized. There was a research showing that there is actually a correlation between the amount of time you spent talking with someone to what is called executive functions and mental capacities. With little to no social interaction in remote working, we lost that cognitive benefits from having just casual interpersonal engagement with someone else. The next time you felt like you've been spending too much time staring into your monitor, working on that calculation or proposal for your customer, or busy replying to multiple e-mails in your inbox, remember to stop and just give someone call asking how his or her day is going. This is a great way to train your brain's cognitive functions while maintaining that relationship with someone you actually care about.