*) According to a French study we put on an average of 2.5 kg while working from home - men 2.7 kg and women 2.3 kg. Phuu, so I am still below the average!
When I was "sentenced" to work from home on March 13th, I could not imagine what it would be like. Working at home alone, just as if you were in the office? No colleagues with whom you can exchange a private word from time to time?
But I got used to it quickly and amazingly. It was just wonderful to work un-styled and in comfortable jogging pants and hoodie. From now on, I will have to get up earlier every morning just to stand in front of the wardrobe for minutes not knowing what to wear. Then hair styling, make-up, packing the best fitting handbag to go with the outfit and oh - now hurry up, or the bus will leave without me...
One aspect of working from home was that I had to completely change my way of working. I am a hard-core "paper tiger" even if it does not fit with today's idea of sustainability. I still need paper on the table to remind me of all the pending issues. If the paper is off the table, the pending issue is off the table. At home I do no longer have a printer and so I had to reorganize myself, which was not always easy. But mostly it worked out. And who knows, maybe in the future I can adapt some of it to everyday office life and become a little more "digital".
Besides, the long time alone in my home office has made me discuss more with myself :-). I have to get rid of that as quickly as possible, otherwise my office colleagues will consider me crazy. This will basically be a change again. I am a person who is easily distracted by everything around me, which is not particularly helpful if you share the office with your colleagues from the Sales Department.Feeling the need to spend hours lamenting the last FCB match, talking to customers on the phone or discussing upcoming or ongoing projects with colleagues... I have rarely worked as efficiently as in the past twelve weeks at home, where nothing and nobody could distract me. Feeling-like hours of complaining about the last football match of the FCB, talking to customers on the phone or discussing upcoming or ongoing projects with colleagues... I have rarely worked as efficiently as in the past twelve weeks at home, where nothing and nobody could distract me.
But it will definitely be nice again not to have to drink the 10 o'clock coffee alone but to sit with one or the other colleague in the piazza.
Speaking of colleagues - I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have followed my call and shared with all of us their experiences, feelings and thoughts in their home office. You were great! I would also like to thank very warmly my two colleagues Hélène and Roberta for the hours they spent translating all the stories. It was an exciting time, but now I'm looking forward to the way back to normality.
And I hope that you, dear readers, have enjoyed the SISA Home Stories. We wish you all the best and a wonderful summer!
Author: Jacqueline Birchler
Department: Marketing
Date: 05.06.2020
As time goes by... The view from my home office at the beginning and end...
