top of page
Thrive at Work Logo Brandmark RGB Blue.p

Thrive at Work at Home

Our evidenced-based guide and tips for successfully working from home
3459BAL_Future of Work Institute logo_Ma
It's a difficult time

Some people are suffering from illness or the illness of loved ones; others are facing imminent job loss or change; and yet others are socially isolated or stuck at locations away from home. All of us are united in our deep concern about the implications of coronavirus for our society and economy.

Work plays a vital role in maintaining individual and collective health and productivity in this uncertain future.

 

There are undoubtedly some perks of people working at home; no commuting being a big one. However, there are also some downsides and risks too, such as the potential for more distractions, and social isolation.

Fortunately there is considerable research evidence concerning how to maximise the benefits of working from home as well as how to minimize some of the downsides.

We provide some initial resources about how to enhance productivity and mental health and well-being of people working from home. Each day, we will provide a daily tip as a video and blog. 

Daily video and blog series

1. Working from home: Why should we care about this topic?
Professor Sharon Parker introduces the series and argues that it is critical for Australia’s economy and the well-being of its people to promote effective working from home.
2. Set up your team for success during COVID-19 crisis

Professor Sharon Parker gives managers three tips for setting a team to work successfully from home:

1. Provide support | 2. Discuss how to work together | 3. Don’t forget the big picture.

3. Be kind to yourself: Self-Compassion in Difficult Times

Professor Sharon Parker discusses how, in the midst of uncertainty and stress, it is important not to avoid your emotions, to be kind to yourself, and not to judge yourself too harshly.

4. To dress or not to dress: Getting into a Work Mindset
Professor Sharon Parker discusses a key challenge of remote working-  the lack of structure in the day as a result of greater autonomy (agency). She describes research about how office dress might help.
5. High quality connection (And we’re not talking about the Internet)
Professor Sharon Parker discusses how to go beyond simple connection between colleagues and build high quality connection with respectful engagement and task-enabling behaviours.
6. Tethered or trusted? The “There’s no excuse not to be at your desk” phenomenon
Professor Sharon Parker discusses the importance of conveying to your workers that you trust them, to give them as much autonomy and flexibility as suits the situation and the person, and focus on the results your team deliver.
7. Switching Off:  Recovering After A Long Day At The Desk
Professor Sharon Parker discusses scientifically proven recovery activities to replenish the energy and resources you have used at work.
8. "I’m Bored!": How to make your work more stimulating
Professor Sharon Parker discusses "job crafting", a new approach of re-designing work to be more engaging and meaningful. 
9. Are you a Zoom Zombie? How to take control of your virtual meetings
Professor Sharon Parker explains how opting for a phone call or an email is sometimes more appropriate than a virtual meeting and when video-conferencing is required, it's important to keep it short, take micro-breaks and also allow informal chit chat.
10. Struggling to stay focused? How to boost your work mojo
Professor Sharon Parker explains how to regain your focus at work using proven techniques to improve concentration, and why we tend to fall for the "attention hijackers".
11. Returning to the office: Four F’s to facilitate re-entry
Professor Sharon Parker outlines the four F's to mentally prepare ourselves for a return to the work office: Fear, fantasies, flexibility and fun.
12. Life is short: Gratitude as we ease out of lockdown
Professor Sharon Parker discusses how gratitude can help with your overall wellbeing and undo some of the negative physiological effects of emotions (e.g. worry and sadness).
13. Best of Both Worlds or Confusion? “Hybridizing” Needed to Juggle Back and Forth Home-Office Working
Juggling between working from home one day, and then working in the office the next, is challenging and calls for new ‘hybridizing’ skills. Professor Sharon Parker shares some tips to optimise your adjustment to this mixed model.

Find out about our 

Working from Home survey

 

We led a global longitudinal research study on your current work experiences, the Thrive at Work at Home survey.

These are now the final results having screened out inappropriate / incomplete cases. Note that the most recent ABS data (2018) said 13% of people experience psychological distress, our survey shows has this number has doubled during the COVID-19 crisis.

Media/blog articles

Additional resources for Thriving at Work at Home

9.png

How managers can lead the way to healthy work environments

COVID-19 has drastically changed the face of our work life. Keeping your workforce mentally healthy has never been more important. Here, we look at strategies for creating a healthy work environment now – and into the future.

Annotation 2020-05-19 224755.png

The Future of Work

podcast

In this joint podcast with Rebecca Cassells, Sharon Parker explores how the ‘working from home’ phenomenon has helped bolster Australia’s economy and how people can work most effectively from home to support their mental health. 

Startup Team

Improve the performance of virtual teams

In this short article, Dr Florian Klonek provides quick tips to improve the performance of your virtual team.

Designing SMART teamwork: How work design can boost performance in virtual teams

NEW!

Woman Working at Home

Working from Home:

ABC radio interview

Professor Sharon Parker discusses the challenges of working from home and how to overcome them in an interview with Jessica Strutt (ABC Radio Perth).

Working from Home - ABC Radio interview with Sharon ParkerArtist Name
00:00 / 12:48
Workspace

Remote Managers Are Having Trust Issues

It seems that during the Covid-19 pandemic, some managers are having a hard time adjusting to managing employees without “line of sight.” Hand in hand with managers’ struggles, many employees are feeling the negative effects of close monitoring and distrust from their bosses. The good news is that these managers can be supported and trained to manage their employees more effectively from a distance.

Working Mom

Understanding Employee Motivation

During Covid-19
Whitepaper

A white paper for employers and leaders to better understand how employee motivation
may be impacted by Covid-19.

Young Guy with Glasses

How to make your work from home SMARTer

In this article, we provide tips on how to create SMART work to maintain your productivity and well-being while you are working from home.

10.png

SMART Work

At Home

This presentation from Sharon Parker will focus on how to ensure that working from home is healthy and productive. Professor Parker will first introduce the SMART model of work design.

Image by You X Ventures

Staying motivated while working remotely during a pandemic

In this Psychology Today blog post, Professor Marylene Gagne provides tips on how to stay motivated while monitoring

your psychological needs.

Need specific help or guidance for your team or organisation?

Your needs for supporting your workers might be unique to your situation. We provide rapid literature reviews, pulse checks on the mental health of your workers, in-depth customised surveys, Thrive at Work audits of mental health practices, evaluations of change, and more.

bottom of page