We get this a lot these days from close family members, friends, colleagues and strangers too. But are we really ALL in the same boat?
While many of us are in similar boats, others may be in their yachts; some are maneuvering all by themselves and others with an entire crew; some may find it smooth sailing while others are sailing through rough weather… and the list goes on.
This topic is something I have been meaning to share my thoughts on for some time now, but as life has it right now – I keep procrastinating ... Why? We have the same 24 hours in a day as we had prior to the dreaded COVID-life, but now in these 24 hours we have so much more to do – family obligations, remote learning, child care, work from home … the only thing we seem not to manage from home is actually LIVING from home.
Now, there are a lot of you out there that love the current work from home arrangements and are balancing your obligations like a rockstar! Kudos to you all.
But I am writing for all those that are juggling and struggling to manage it all, me included. Speaking to many of my friends and candidates - the usual cheery-toned “Hey, what’s up?” has lost its spark - with many sharing their struggles with this new normal. I hear you all, and whilst I may not be in the exact same boat as you, I am sure we all want to be on the same course.
I wanted to share a snippet from LinkedIn News Australia, discussing the increasing stress on the workforce during the lockdown:
“Australia’s workers are feeling increasingly stressed. That’s according to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index, which found that 66% of employed workers experienced stress in the last month, up from 60% at the end of last year. While that increase is being felt across the workforce, women were more likely to say they felt stressed (72%) compared with their male counterparts (61%). But, what people want isn’t always what people get, with the survey finding that the number of workers interested in taking time off (50%) outnumbered those who actually had the opportunity to do so (42%). Those who wanted to decline taking on additional responsibilities (24%) also outnumbered those offered the chance to do so (18%).”
So, what does this tell us? Before things get out of control or feel overwhelming, then please do take time to rest, reach out, fuel up and then reset on your course.
As September marks a month of mental awareness, at Parity Consulting we were all encouraged to take an ‘As you Wish’ day off work. The idea behind this was to prioritise self-care. Whilst those of us in lockdown were limited in terms of what we could do, it was a wonderful way to recharge. I took the opportunity to do things that I love doing most. It hit me hard that I should ideally not be looking forward to these off days to live life, but instead see the beauty in each and every day that I do get to live!
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are also a very useful avenue during times of stress and increased pressures – they provide support for work-based emotional, mental and general psychological wellbeing through various service providers. You can find out more about them here.
Parity have engaged the team at Work Happy to provide the team with an EAP – providing confidential counselling and wellbeing services, available for all staff, to manage either work or personal concerns and to help reach personal goals. The program aims to help staff live well, stay well and manage work-life balance. EAP’s are not a new offering, with many professionals accessing the services to manage relationships, family matters, change and forward planning. The counsellors also help people through challenging times such as bereavement, depression, health issues and personal concerns.
Yes, the hard yards may not be over yet, and life with COVID and the balancing act of working from home will possibly carry on for a bit longer than we expected, but by focusing on what can be controlled, and accessing available services we can keep rising up, maintain the course so that soon we can safely berth and slowly and steadily get back to “the good ol’ times”!
The team of specialist consultants at Parity Consulting recruit across Product Management, Pricing, Digital, Marketing, Communications and Data Analytics. For a confidential career discussion, or if you are looking to expand your team, contact our team at info@parityconsulting.com.au or 02 8068 2016 (Sydney)/ 03 9923 8081 (Melbourne).
