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5 tips to co-work peacefully with your family members when WFH gets tense

W / Wellness

5 tips to co-work peacefully with your family members when WFH gets tense

When working from home starts getting prickly, here’s what you can do to soothe and diffuse the situation

by Cheong Wen Xuan  /   June 12, 2020

Credit: 123rf

In Phase One of post-Circuit Breaker, a handful of workers have been deployed back to the office, while most continue to #WFH. For some, this extension is much welcomed, but for others, the news was received with dismay and disappointment. 

If you fall into the latter category, you’re not alone. WFH means that the entire family works, lives, and breathes together, day in and day out. While we love our families, it’s fair to say most of us have never spent this much time with them – ever. 

With everyone cooped up in such close quarters almost 24/7, it’s unavoidable that tensions will rise, the claws will come out, and the mildest of things (imagine: pen clicking, leg shaking, unnecessarily loud typing…) can rub even the most affable family members the wrong way.

Here are five tips for you to implement at home, to ensure that everyone can co-work harmoniously and to keep the peace. 

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https://www.herworld.com/gallery/life/wellness/tips-co-work-peacefully-family-wfh/
5 tips to co-work peacefully with your family members when WFH gets tense
Make personal space
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This is easier said than done, but there are still ways to make this happen even if you don’t have your own rooms to seek refuge in.

If the entire family has to share a tight space such as a common study or living room, sit facing opposite directions to establish personal space. Sitting at opposing corners of a room can give the illusion that you have a ‘cubicle’ of your own, and there won’t be as much unwelcome intrusion.

If you don’t have enough tables for this arrangement, you can invest in a small folding table for $11.60 – a small price to pay for invaluable personal space.

123rf
Set clear boundaries
image

This is especially useful for those who can’t multitask, or lose their train of thought when there’s incessant chit-chat going on in the background.

Set boundaries according to your needs! For example, if you have a dial-in meeting every day and need silence, set rules that no vacuuming/ screaming/ piano playing should be done during this time.

Draw out clear-cut timings for work and breaks, with accompanying rules. You can take breaks together during mealtimes (or every hour to rummage the fridge) when chatting is free-for-all, while other times should be for complete silence and focus.

123rf
Communicate
image

This is pretty straightforward – if their foot tapping is driving you crazy, mention it gently. If you wish they’d use their earpiece instead of their speakers, bring it up nicely.

It never helps to bottle up your feelings and silently seethe as they sigh loudly to themselves for the millionth time today, only for you to finally unleash your pent-up rage in an explosive rant about how inconsiderate and insensitive they are.

Direct communication always works better than passive aggression.

123rf
Draw out duties clearly
image

For couples with kids, juggling work with childcare can lead to rising tensions. To avoid conflict, have a schedule set up. A fixed roster detailing who handles kid duty will do away with the dreaded back-and-forth arguments on whose turn it is to change the diapers.

Even if there are no young kids in the family, it helps to split the chores. For example, you can’t dump dishwashing duty on the same unfortunate soul everyday, just because s/he’s the slowest eater.

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, so while a roster may not have been necessary in the past, having one now to evenly and fairly split the workload helps to avoid disagreements.

123rf
Maintain work-life balance
image

Make it a decided point to start work and end work at clear-cut timings.

When you start work, be productive together. When you get off work, gather your family members for some bonding time. It could be activities like playing mahjong, watching a movie, working out, or simple things like just cooking and having dinner together and chatting about your day.

When you spend so much time together, it’s easy to forget that you still need to put in effort to maintain the relationships.

123rf
  • TAGS:
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  • #HerWorldWithYou
  • wfh
  • work from home
  • work from home jobs
  • work from home tips
  • working mother make time family
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