How was your experience working from home? While it did seem like a good break, the unexpected shift of remote working presented some issues that were difficult to deal with. Along with maiming profits, delayed appraisals, curbed salaries, increase in time spent doing work and disrupting respective corporate cultures, COVID-19 also impacted employees in ways they didn’t bargain for.
Problems Faced While Working From Home
- Detachment & Isolation: Whichever industry you work in, a workplace gives you a sense of shared purpose and connection. With lesser opportunities of bonding and interaction while working from home, team members began to feel more isolated and disengaged from their workplace. No amount of video conferences can fix this feeling of detachment and isolation.
- Loss of Focus: While some enjoyed an isolated space where they could concentrate on their work, most didn’t have a remote space they could comfortably work from. Distraction by family members, pets and other factors caused more stress and lack of focus.
- Mental Health Issues: Given the state of affairs during the early onset of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, it was easy to get stressed about the future. Feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness and frustration were common across all age groups. Working from home made it difficult to reach out to colleagues and friends for support. In a study we conducted, we found that around 43% Indians were plagued with depression. A number that only saw an upward trend. “Anxiety is one of the symptoms of depression. Most people are anxious on various counts. For some it is about not having a regular routine as they did in normal times,” says Divya Thampi, an Emotional Wellness Coach on GOQii Play. To read more about the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, read the report here.
- Overwhelmed With New Tech: We already use a significant amount of apps and softwares daily. In the business landscape, everything is driven by data and tech. Adaptability aside, the sudden onset of the pandemic and the subsequent remote working scene forced us to work with new tools for scheduling, conferencing, managing, etc. faster than before.
- Feedback, Recognition & Guidance: During pre-lockdown times, it was easy for a manager to step up to your desk to share positive feedback or guide you. In a remote working environment, this form of interaction has suffered greatly. Lack of feedback, recognition and guidance can make one feel further isolated, doubt their skills or lose confidence in their work.
- Health & Wellbeing: Disruption of routine also meant that people were tied down to their couches, beds or desks at home with little movement. Those walks after lunch, chasing trains and any little movement we had while we worked from the office were tossed out the window. Eating habits also suffered and with work hours extending for some, sleep suffered greatly – only adding to stress.
At GOQii, we believe that a healthy employee is a happy employee and a happy employee is a productive employee. Sadly, that was not the case during the lockdown. In view of these issues which are quite persistent even now, what can corporations do to motivate their employees, build team spirit, foster bonding, improve health and increase productivity?
GOQii Corporate Challenge
What if we told you that there was a fun way to build team spirit, improve health and performance at work? The GOQii Corporate Challenge – an inter-corporate health challenge, can be the solution you’ve been looking for.
It’s a 60 day engagement program, starting from 13th December to 10th February, where corporates can get their employees to participate on an individual, team and corporate level. The challenges will consist of a 30 day steps challenge and daily social media spot challenges (where you can win daily prizes) – all tracked by a live leaderboard.
The program also consists of daily fitness sessions i.e. 150+ sessions in 60 days starting with Yoga, Mind and Body sessions at 7 AM, Health Talks at 3 PM and High Intensity Workout sessions at 7 PM.
What’s more, at the end of the GOQii Corporate Challenge, 1 in every 4 players stands a chance to win exciting prizes such as hotel stays, luxury watches, smartphones, gadgets and exclusive merchandise.
A little bit of healthy competition like this, can definitely ease the strain left by COVID-19 and build team spirit while most of us return to the office!
If you’re keen on participating, sign up your corporation for the GOQii Corporate Challenge to take advantage of exciting rewards – the best one being good health!
Sign up here: https://gcc.goqii.com/
#BeTheForce
Snacking is an important part of our diet plan. But, when one talks about snacking in the office, we are often caught in front of a vending machine or a food delivery app wondering what to and what not to eat. One of the reasons people don’t eat healthy at work or stick to their healthy eating resolutions of bringing their own homemade food, rather than ordering or eating out, is because of a lack of time. In this fast-paced world, fast food comes as the optimum solution. Luckily, there are plenty of quick, easy, and inexpensive healthy snacks.
Greek yogurt is fulfilling and super yummy. An ideal office snack, you should go for low-fat or skimmed milk versions of yogurt. If you want, you can just add a dash of honey or jaggery to it. Best is to add some fresh berries, fine slice of apples and bananas.
Why binge or eat something unhealthy and fattening when you can go for nuts and seeds. Nuts are packed with protein, while other snacks are packed with carbs and empty calories. Nuts and seeds are one of the few snack items that have protein and can fill you up for a long time.
Fruits provide us with the best form of natural sugars. They are really good for a snack if you are feeling low on energy in the office. Strawberries, gooseberries, oranges, apples, bananas and melons are all packed with antioxidants and vitamins which your body needs!
A plain instant oatmeal packet is a great way to indulge in something comforting, yet healthy. You can add your own flavoring and keep a tab on the calorie and sugar content. Top it with raisins or add cinnamon and nutmeg to it – your powerful healthy office snack is ready! Oatmeal is known to reduce the risk of heart diseases.
Be careful with these! Some protein bars are packed with calories. Check the ingredients and make sure the one you pick has fruit, nuts, and fewer than 200 calories. You can even make these at home!
With the increasing pollution levels, exposure to chemicals, the ongoing pandemic and the unpleasant viral & flu, we wouldn’t be particularly surprised if you were looking for home remedies for dry cough. A dry cough is a nonproductive cough that doesn’t produce phlegm or mucus. Dry cough is generally caused by viral infections and allergies. It is very necessary to consult a doctor to find the underlying cause of cough. Along with prescribed medications and treatment, you can also try a couple of home remedies to find relief.
