Man working happily at a desk in his home office. He’s writing in his notebook beside his laptop.
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How to be efficient while remote working without burning out

3 Jul 2020

This week in Careers, we looked at ways to stay focused and productive in this new way of working – without running yourself into the ground.

We’re all understandably sick of hearing the phrase ‘the new normal’, especially since any type of working during a global pandemic should not be considered normal at all.

However, it can’t be denied that Covid-19 is ushering us into a new way of working and with a big chunk of the global workforce doing so remotely, at least part of what we’re currently doing could become normal.

In fact, in a guest post this week, David Brown from Hays spoke about how our attitudes to work could change as a result of Covid-19. While physical workspaces are expected to change sooner rather than later, Brown expects the new way of working to include a renewed focus on balance and flexibility, a thirst for learning and an increase in side projects, to name but a few.

Part of making sure you don’t overwork is to delegate when necessary and not to take on too much. Learning to say no takes practise, but it can make your working life a lot easier. This week, we heard from Fidelity Investments’ Adrian Hynes, who spoke about the value of saying no in the right context.

In terms of structuring your working day, finding what works for you is generally best practice. But if you’re looking for some help figuring out the best time to do certain tasks with the aim of being a bit more efficient, we’ve got you covered with this week’s infographic.

In terms of more physical changes, most of us have become accustomed to video conferencing for our meetings at the moment. If remote working is here to stay, we need to start thinking about how to minimise disruptions during those video calls.

And, while Covid-19 has uprooted the global workforce, recruitment for a lot of sci-tech companies is still ongoing. We compiled a list of 10 US companies that are hiring in Ireland right now.

Advice for employers

While teams are adjusting to remote working, employers need to make sure they’re looking after their staff correctly. This week, we heard from OneDigital’s Shira Wilensky about how to prioritise your employees’ mental health in the current climate and as we move further into the future of work.

Of course, it’s not just about making sure your employees are OK while working from home. Economies all over the world are starting to gradually reopen and with that, plans to move back to physical offices are starting to take place. This week, we spoke to occupational medicine specialist Prof John Gallagher about what employers need to consider when returning to the workplace.

Finally, while Covid-19 has brought plenty of challenges for employers, there are some ongoing developments that all companies need to consider with or without a global pandemic, namely diversity and inclusion. This week, we heard from Bristol Myers Squibb’s Derek Hughes about what companies need to think about when it comes to showing support for their LGBTQ employees.

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Jenny Darmody
By Jenny Darmody

Jenny Darmody became the editor of Silicon Republic in 2023, having worked as the deputy editor since February 2020. When she’s not writing about the science and tech industry, she’s writing short stories and attempting novels. She continuously buys more books than she can read in a lifetime and pretty stationery is her kryptonite. She also believes seagulls to be the root of all evil and her baking is the stuff of legends.

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