Your partner is bellowing into their conference call as you try to get reports filed. Your roommate showed you six memes in the last hour. Meanwhile, your manager sent over three more requests for you to complete by the end of the day.
The coronavirus poses major challenges to the global workforce today, even for those workers fortunate enough to have secure employment that allows them to work from home. Many employees with the ability to work remotely have found themselves working alongside their family members and/or roommates for the first time, competing for limited space, internet connection, and attention.
Here is some advice:
“You have to set up the rules. If I close the door to where I’m working, then you cannot come in.” She advises that live-in partners and roommates establish boundaries early on but remain open to redefining the rules as needed. “It’s about being compassionate and helpful."
2. Share your communal space
“People find [working in their bedroom] depressing, so you should recommend that roommates create a schedule so that everyone gets a turn working in group areas. One person gets the living room in the morning, one gets it in the afternoon,”
3. Protect your personal life
“Respect when people are in the zone. Don’t bring any electronics to your bedroom. Don’t bring your iPhone to dinner, Make sure you do some family things together at night."
4. Be sound-conscious
Another challenge that comes with sharing a home office is the noise disruptions when one or more roommates have to participate in conference calls. What I suggest is that everyone sharing a home workspace has a conversation about phone call etiquette and preferences. "For example, Kit is fine with people talking on the phone in front of her while she’s working. But I still sometimes like to go to another space, Others recommend creating a shared calendar for roommates to use to let one another know about conference calls as far in advance as possible."
5. Take care of each other
Even if you have a secure job that is possible to accomplish remotely, working from home can put a strain on anyone’s mental health. “Check in on your roommate. Is there anything you can do to help them?” recommends Bloom. In addition to regularly touching base with your partner or roommates, it can be a good idea to take some time to lighten the mood.
~And those are five ways to avoid killing each other at home~