The great working from home experiment is over a year underway now. It was back in March 2020 that so many of us were told to retreat to our homes and continue our jobs from there.

We had to bid ‘goodbye’ to the offices and instead adapt to our new normal: working in our bedrooms and living rooms, dealing with distractions, and missing out on the watercooler talk with colleagues.

What’s more, working from home provided us with the new challenge of trying to remain productive. If you want to find out some useful tips on how to do so, check out our article here.

And asides from the natural increase in home office desk sales, working from home is also having another impact.

The impact on our brains.

That’s right, our brains when working from home are a lot different from our brains when working in the office.

After all, working from home in your childhood bedroom surely isn’t great for brain development, right?

But what’s the science behind this?

The working from home boom has led to many studies and experiments being carried out to assess the change in our brains when working from home.

They seek answers to questions many of us have: how are we supposed to concentrate in our video meetings with our children screaming in the background? How is my lack of human contact impacting my socialisation skills? Is working from home doing any lasting damage to our productivity levels?

Thankfully, at Shape The Market, we thought we should collate these answers and make it easier for you.

If you’re looking to find out the impact on our brains when working from home, continue reading.

What is perhaps one of the most expected and understandable impacts on the brain when working from home is a change in mental health conditions.

Sometimes, for the worse.

With many of us now approaching the year and a half marker for working from home, it’s hard to believe that we haven’t seen our colleagues in this long.

Sure, we may have video calls and online socials. But the lack of social interactions with our workplace friends is having a negative impact on our mental wellbeing.

In fact, many employers have reported feeling concerned and worried about their employees’ mental states.

And it’s with good reason, too.

According to Nuffield Health, over 80% of people in the UK say that they feel that working from home has had a negative impact on their mental health.

Specifically, the Office for National Statistics has reported that the number of adults dealing with depression has doubled since June 2020.

Whilst this cannot be entirely attributed to working from home lifestyles, it’s likely that the change in workplace dynamics has contributed.

But why is this?

Scientifically speaking, social interactions, particularly workplace social interactions, are extremely important for our social skills and mental wellbeing.

Our brains have a very important nerve called the vagus nerve: this is responsible for 80-90% of our nervous system and state of wellbeing.

When we work from home and miss out on socialising with colleagues and speaking with people (other than the ones you’re trapped quarantining with), this nerve doesn’t get used as much.

As a result, it can almost enter a state of atrophy. The impact of this on our brains is that we feel less awake, less enthusiastic, and less happy.

Which would certainly justify many of our feelings of mental health decline.

If we’re being honest, very few people are fans of video meetings.

We’ve had to learn to adapt to new forms of communication, mostly operating over Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

And whilst video meetings do have some benefits, like only having to get dressed from the shoulders up, there are also some downsides too.

In fact, earlier this year we wrote an article about mistakes you’re likely making on a video call – like being ill-prepared, or having a distracting background.

If you want to read the article to discover what you need to know about video calls, click here.

But there are also some more serious side effects of video meetings, other than getting bored easily, that are impacting our brains when working from home.

In a study carried out by Microsoft, they looked into how our brain functions differently when problem-solving with another team member in person, and problem-solving with a team member through a video call.

Surprisingly, their EEG study found that when working remotely and having to communicate through a video call, the brain waves associated with stress and anxiety were significantly higher than the results when working in person.

What’s more, they found specifically that when a person is participating in a video call, the maximum time for this to last is only around 30 minutes.

This is because once the 30-minute mark hits, our brainwaves start to crash.

We then become less concentrated, sluggish, and less energised.

But why is this?

Well, we actually require more attention when it comes to using digital forms of communication. Whilst you might think that a video call allows you to slack off a bit, it’s actually demanding more energy and more brain functionality from you.

So when we’re digitally communicating with our colleagues and working online, we’re actually demanding more from our brain.

And, when it can’t keep it, that’s when our energy levels and brain functionality start to crash.

Working from home does come with some benefits: the commute is significantly decreased (unless you’re traveling back and forth between the fridge and your home office), and you’re able to benefit from home cooking during your lunch breaks.

But, working from home can be a diversion from the usual office hours.

Whereas in the office you’ll typically be working 9-5, working from home can sometimes see you working longer hours.

In fact, 43% of people have found themselves working longer than a 40-hour workweek.

That’s almost half!

And with so many of us working longer hours than we usually do, it would make sense why we would feel burnt out and overworked.

What’s more, working these long hours doesn’t even necessarily mean an increase in productivity either.

There have been numerous studies that have found that a shorter workweek – a week with only 4 days in work, for example – is much more beneficial for productivity than a long week.

This means that, effectively, employees are overworking themselves for very little benefit.

But just how bad is burnout, really?

Well, according to Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a New York psychologist, “your brain loses the ability to shift states easily, utilize energy, and maintain positive mood balance.”

Consequently, the performance of our work decreases and we produce work of lower quality.

Perhaps a point that will surprise a lot of people, our posture when working impacts our brain function.

Working from home has seen many of us taking to unusual places to set up a home office. Some of us are in our bedrooms, some in the living room hunched over a sofa.

It’s no surprise that home office desk sales have soared since the pandemic, with many of us having to work in places we didn’t anticipate working.

As a result of this, many of us around the country are putting our posture to the test.

Without the benefit of supportive office desks we were so used to pre-Covid, our posture and spines are recoiling and folding.

Hunched over a tiny, makeshift desk every day isn’t very good for your back.

But other than the back pain and the constant need to stretch every 2 minutes, poor posture can actually effect your brain function too.

According to Chiropractic Health Centres, posture has a direct correlation to our brains and how we’re feeling.

They claim that “this is due to the activation of the prefrontal cortex in the frontal lobe of your brain, which controls your cortical thinking, concentration and emotions.”

Meaning, that leaning over your desk for 8 hours a day is actually placing a strain on your frontal lobe and therefore impeding how you work.

Who knew that posture would impact the brain when working from home?

Whilst there are a lot of ways that working from home is negatively impacting the brain, there are some positive cognitive impacts.

We know that working from home allows you to have a reduced commute, save money on travel, and spend more time with your family, there are actually some positive impacts on the brain that working from home creates.

Primarily, that working from home creates greater job satisfaction.

In a survey carried out by Microsoft, 52% of UK employees said that they have more empathy towards their colleagues and workplace friends now that they are working from home.

It seems that with everyone having to adjust, co-workers are becoming more understanding of each other’s problems.

As well as this, 77% of workers say that they have greater job satisfaction when they are working from home.

Whether this is because they don’t have managers closely supervising them, or because they’re spending more time with their families, employees are finding greater pleasure in their work.

As a result of these positive changes, our brains are experiencing a higher rush of satisfaction and happiness.

We become more productive, positive, and engaged with our work.

Perhaps working from home isn’t so bad for our brains after all?

Working from home can see a lot of negative impacts on our brain.

Increased stress, poor brain functionality, and larger demand for energy mean that we could potentially be suffering as we’re away from the office.

However, the impact on our brains when working from home can be positive too.

Not everyone will experience poor mental health or an increase in stress when working from home.

For some people, they’ll have an increase in job satisfaction and a greater sense of happiness when they’re working out of the office.

It’s entirely dependent on the individual.

But, with businesses so desperate to move back to the office soon, it could be an issue that remedies itself.

What about your business? How have your employees been impacted by working from home?

Let us know in the comments!

If you’re applying for a job or scrolling on LinkedIn, you’ve probably found yourself coming across one or two unconventional job titles.

Maybe there’s a job posting for a ‘website ninja’, or you’ve got a new connection request from a ‘digital wizard’.

As strange as it may seem, job titles like these are actually becoming more popular.

But, where have they come from?

Well, it’s not unusual for a job role to change its name. Originally, HR departments were known to employees simply as ‘personnel’. Then, they became known as ‘human resources’. And now, it’s common to see an HR department named something like ‘talent acquisition’.

At the same time, individual job roles have evolved too.

Whereas an old retail job may have been called ‘sales assistant’ or ‘shop floor staff’, now you can find clothing companies employing ‘stylists’ and ‘designers’.

Supporters of unconventional job titles say titles like these encourage productivity and can help to make staff feel valued and important.

However, some critics believe that it’s gone too far. Titles like ‘wizard’, ‘ninja’, and ‘genius’ are rising in popularity. But not everyone is happy with this.

So, what are the impacts of unconventional job titles on the workplace? And, are they worth it?

Below we break down the positives and the negatives so you can decide for yourself!

It’s no surprise that the younger generation is feeling disillusioned about the current job market. Between Covid-19, the rise in unemployment, and the state of the economy, many young people may feel like their job prospects are low.

This is particularly true for recent graduates and those only just getting into the job market.

The types of jobs available to those just getting started would usually be intern, graduate, and trainee roles.

Even the names of these jobs sound boring, right?

This is where unconventional job titles come in. By giving graduate and trainee roles a more engaging and dynamic name, the chances of the job role appealing to a younger applicant are higher.

But why is this?

Well, Susan Heathfield, a Human Resources expert for about.com told The Boston Globe, “Generation Y, or our millennials, were groomed by families to have an overly inflated emphasis on their own self-worth. You are going to see this increasingly reflected in job titles. They are not going to have a title like receptionist and feel rewarded.”

Whilst Heathfield clearly thinks this stems from a need to feel important, this could also come from a need to feel like a valued member of the team.

The job title ‘receptionist’ doesn’t imply much importance or value, but a ‘director of first impressions’ sounds a lot more respected and esteemed.

It’s no wonder why the younger generation would find the latter a much more appealing job title.

Consequently, you’ll likely see an increase in applicants when the job sounds more unique and important.

However, not everyone is totally on board with unconventional job titles. In fact, some critics believe that these bizarre titles can lead to a rise in job title inflation.

But what is this?

Job title inflation is when an employee’s job title changes as means of a promotion, but their responsibilities – and more importantly, their salaries – remain the same.

The Economist says that this is because of the lack of money and opportunities that businesses have.

They write: “When it comes to job titles, we live in an age of rampant inflation. Everybody you come across seems to be a chief or president of some variety…The most immediate explanation is the economic downturn: bosses are doling out ever fancier titles as a substitute for pay raises and bonuses.”

The impact of this is that unconventional job titles will become superficial and not really carry any meaning or significance.

After all, is there actually any difference between being called ‘Human Resources Manager’ and ‘Personnel Wizard’ if you’re doing the same job and being paid the same wage?

It’s obvious that most employees would prefer an increase in salary and responsibilities when looking for a promotion, over a fancy job title that doesn’t change anything else.

These days, businesses want to seem fun and trendy. Even if you’re dealing with something more serious like finance or law, no one wants to come across as boring or dry.

But how do you let people know that you’re a good business to work for, and a place where you like to have fun?

Well, one of the easiest ways to do this is by using unconventional job titles.

Think of everyone’s favourite film company Disney.

Whether you’re a sales assistant in one of their many stores, an actor pretending to be one of their beloved characters, or a ride attendant at one of their theme parks, you’ll find yourself being called a ‘cast member’.

And why? Because it conveys a sense of fun and importance. The title ‘cast member’ sounds a lot more creative and exciting. You get a clear sense of Disney’s values and how they treat their staff thanks to the quirky titles each member has.

But Disney isn’t the only business that’s doing this.

In an HP office in Kansas City, there was a vacancy for someone called a “workstation evangelist” – essentially an office supervisor.

As a technology company that needs to seem trendy, current, and a fun business to work and buy from – having such an extremely unconventional job title helps to convey this.

In an interview with Business Insider, Ladders CEO said that “companies like to play ‘dress up’. By wearing the clothes, adopting the lingo, and mimicking the behaviour of companies they want to be like, they hope to have some of the magic rub off on them.”

Perhaps, it’s a tactic for businesses to inject some enthusiasm and excitement into their business. By starting with the job titles, they hope that it spreads to the rest of the business.

Whilst for now, it’s only some companies that have decided to adopt unconventional job titles, this makes them more of a rarity than a norm.

And the impact of this sees that some companies and individuals may find these titles unprofessional and unserious.

When it comes to applying for a future job, it can be a shock to a potential employer to see someone worked as a ‘Content Ninja’.

How are they supposed to know what this means?

Unconventional job titles, whilst sometimes fun, can also lack clarity and definition. As a result, this can put prospective employees at a disadvantage as they struggle to convey to employers what their duties were. And, for employers, this could put them at a disadvantage as they’re trying to recruit new staff.

What’s more, it’s not just with regards to job hunting that these titles can seem unprofessional.

This can also happen when it comes to networking and making new connections.

If you’re pitching your business to a prospective customer or trying to meet new clients, it can be off-putting to introduce yourself as a ‘data storyteller’.

You want to make a good impression and convey to your connections that you’re taking them seriously, something that can be hard to achieve when your job title is on the funnier side.

One of the positives that can come from using unconventional job titles in your business is that it can actually make employees more productive.

Multiple studies have found that there is a direct correlation between an employee’s job title and the quality of work they produce.

In fact, Small Business goes as far as to say that “an employee who feels that his job title requires leadership and responsibility is more likely to exhibit these qualities and perform his work at a level that matches his title.”

Meaning, that the more impressive a job title sounds and the more responsibility it seems to connote, the harder an employee will work in order to reflect this.

Conversely, this also impacts the performance of employees who have job titles that are more common and less special.

Someone who is simply called a ‘receptionist’ may feel less special and less integral to the business, and therefore will be less motivated to give their 100%.

One of the largest issues that come with unconventional job titles is that often they can complicate the hierarchy within the business.

If everyone in the office is called a ‘ninja’, then where is the chain of command?

With no clear hierarchy or management line, it can be difficult to know who is your superior and who is your subordinate.

What’s more, unconventional job titles can also stunt your progression.

If your starting position is some sort of ‘executive’ role, where is the room for you to grow?

This can become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy, where you then need to come up with exceedingly more unconventional titles like ‘super executive’ to compensate for the lack of room for progress.

As a result, it can actually have an impact on motivation levels.

When people don’t feel like there are any opportunities for them to develop and progress, they can feel disinterested and less likely to put in the effort.

It’s clear to see that unconventional job titles have plenty of both positives and negatives.

They can help to make the working environment more fun and engaging, boost productivity, and can make your employees feel more important and valued.

But, they have their downsides too.

Unconventional job titles can also seem unprofessional or unserious, can complicate workplace dynamics, and also limit personal development.

Meaning that they’re a hard thing to get right.

However, unconventional job titles are still on the rise. It’s possible that several years from now the role of a ‘receptionist’ will be replaced by ‘front desk wizards’.

So, will you be adopting unconventional job titles for your business?

Let us know in the comments!

More increasingly, companies are abandoning typical office etiquette and working hours for plans which they deem more beneficial for employees. One such change to the typical working week is a rise in companies adopting a 4 day work week.

Once, it was believed to be the only way to work. Now, the 9-5 Monday- Friday routine is becoming less popular; especially in a post-Covid world.

Companies are opting either for employees to take Fridays off and thus have a longer weekend, or to stagger attendance and have a revolving schedule of the days they are in.

In either case, more people are starting to see the benefits of the shorter working week.

But what are they?

Believe it or not, having a shorter working week seems to make employees more productive.

With fewer hours in work, employees spend less time in pointless or long meetings, chatting at the water cooler, and generally procrastinating.

As such, their productivity increases as they spend more time on designated tasks.

It means that the office becomes a more efficient workplace and the deadlines given are more frequently met.

Sounds good, right?

What’s more, a study by Sanford University noted that there was actually a correlation between productivity and working hours. That being: employees who were deemed overworked or too tired were actually less productive. This is in comparison to employees who spent fewer hours in the office.

You only need to look towards countries like Luxemburg and France to see this in action.

As of 2015, Luxemburg, with the lowest average working hours of 29 hours a week, also has the highest productivity.

They made an impressive 93.4 GDP per hour worked.

Whereas Mexico, with an average of 41.2 hours of work per week, is the least productive. Out of the 38 countries surveyed, they were generating only 20.3 GDP per hour.

But what does this mean?

Well, it seems that productivity/task fulfilment, as well as financial generation, is most impressive when working hours are lower.

This not only makes sense for the employees but also financial sense for the companies too. And, unsurprisingly, is one of the most appealing advantages of a short work week.

With more time devoted to extracurricular activities and time spent at home, employees are more willing to fully commit to their work when in the office.

The correlation cannot be denied.

When working hours lower, productivity rises.

Leading on from productivity, the shorter working week also lends towards higher employee satisfaction.

After all, who wouldn’t want more time at home?

It seems that with long weekends and one less day spent in the office, employees have more time to rest and recuperate.

Subsequently, employees are less likely to phone in sick, take personal days, or complain whilst at work.

Productivity is increased because employees are happy to be there.

This was proven when Microsoft Japan decided to drop its workweek to 4 days for the summer and saw a 40% increase in productivity.

Why?

Because employees felt happier coming to work as they were more rested.

What’s more, employees working under a 4-day working week also recorded better emotional and mental wellbeing as well.

They felt as if the company valued them as people too, not just workers, and by being allowed the longer weekend – they felt more appreciated.

This even had a knock-on effect on something else too: employee retention.

With employees being happier under the 4 day work week and feeling more motivated, appreciated, and rested, they were less likely to look elsewhere for employment.

But why does this matter?

Well, when it comes to running a business, employee satisfaction is one of the most important things.

Your company’s success means nothing if you’re being run by a team of employees who feel undervalued and overworked.

By considering the work-life balance more fairly and with a kinder approach, it can result in happier staff.

For the majority of employers who hear ‘4 day work week’, they envision benefits only for the employees. They see it as a massive challenge that will be difficult to implement, and even harder to regulate.

But this isn’t the case!

A shorter working week actually provides many benefits for the employer as well.

One of them being financial.

Liz Supinski, director of research and product for the Society for Human Resource Management stated that “generally speaking, work-flex variations are one of the least expensive ways to make employees happier.”

In comparison to other ways to increase job satisfaction – such as workplace benefits, office renovations, and extracurriculars – the swap to the shorter workweek was actually one of the least expensive options.

But more than that, it’s also not that hard to make the change.

Many companies such as Microsoft Japan, Shake Shack, and Perpetual Guardian, all initially started with a trial period.

It began with a conversation with their employees about how they would be able to increase productivity, and how the 4 day work week would work.

Some companies found it more beneficial for all staff to have the same day off, whereas others found it more productive for staff attendance to be staggered.

A staggered attendance with employees meant that there was always someone in the office, and therefore always someone to help out clients.

What’s more, staggered days in the office are also appealing in a post-Covid world.

Eliminating the number of people in the office makes for better social distancing.

On the other hand, the option of everyone having the same day off also has its benefits – Microsoft Japan saw a 23% decrease in their electricity costs when no one was in on Friday.

There is no doubt that with a shorter workweek, a reduced carbon footprint would also follow.

On an individual basis, staff who are working only 4 days a week do not need to commute to work more and thus their carbon footprint decreases.

Less time traveling to work = better for the environment.

But how big of an impact will this really have on the environment?

Well, on a small scale, it would still see huge differences.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst found that if each individual cut down their working hours by 10%, it would lead to a 14.6% decrease in carbon emissions.

For the average 40 hours working week, that’s only 4 hours.

But what if we dream bigger?

A study carried out by Monster revealed that if the number of people working from home – around 13.4% pre-Covid – doubled, then London would see 374,931 fewer cars on the road.

As one of the most populated cities in the world, the effects of this would be tremendous.

This would mean that, for the average individual, their carbon footprint would decrease by 420kg of CO2 per year!

But imagine a world where everyone was home for one extra day a week.

According to the Guardian, that would mean a 36.6% decrease in our overall carbon footprint. And, according to The Conversation, this would translate into a 558 million mile reduction in travel if the workweek was shorter in the UK alone.

But it doesn’t just stop with travel.

A shorter workweek also means less pressure on finite and precious resources in the office too.

With less energy spent on lighting the offices, powering the electronic devices and anything else within the building, you can see how much of an impact a shortened working week would have.

Believe it or not, it was only in the early 1930s that the UK saw the introduction of the 5 days working week. It was inspired by allowing employees the weekend off for religious worship, and to reduce the running costs of factories.

That’s right.

The coveted 5-day working week which is so entrenched in our society isn’t actually as old as you think.

This shows us that, contrary to popular belief, changes to work schedules aren’t that hard to implement.

In fact, 15% of the 60,000 US companies who completed the Society for Human Research Management survey said they had a 4 day work week. The most companies to have announced this as of date.

Which means, the shorter workweek is on the rise.

It’s clear to see the many benefits that accompany a reduction in working hours, for both employee and employer.

Whether it’s a financial boost or an improvement in wellbeing, there are plenty of reasons for your company to consider the shift to the shorter working week and see if it’s the right fit for you.

Working from home is hard.

Here we are, sitting at home, with our TV to our left and our phone to our right.

How are we meant to get anything done? How can we concentrate when there is so much going on around us?

As humans, we are socialized to make home a place of relaxation, and our place of work a place of concentration.

This creates a dilemma for people who have been confined to the space of their home to sustain their work lifestyle – work ethic slips, laziness grips hold, and productivity becomes a thing of the past!

Do we force ourselves to work less efficiently or do we give up working entirely?

Here are our tips on how to stay efficient when working from home during this pandemic from Shape the Market.

Becoming used to something new is always hard, especially when it comes to a change in the work environment.

According to multiple studies, on average it will take 66 days to become used to a new habit. This feels like a long time, so what can you do to make yourself accustomed to this new rhythm of life when working from home?

Simple – repetition, organisation, and activity.

Firstly, repetition translates into lifestyle by creating a schedule. Waking up sets the tone for the day and you should seize it.

What does setting multiple alarms say? I am not ready for the day. It breeds an unhealthy work ethic.

You know the type of days when you wake up with a purpose to get stuff done? These days allow for inescapable tasks to be completed with ease, such as preparing for work and – for some, when working from home – setting the kids up with their educational materials.

Equally, in the evening, you should structure your time as a means to decompress from income-earning activities. This can allow for appropriate time for planning for the next day, meditation and reflection on the day you had, and – of course -conversing with the family.

This schedule will subconsciously train your brain to become active and inactive at the corresponding times of the day.

If you think CEOs are untouchable by the virus and the workload, tell that to the fired CEO of a reclining chair company who was too laid back.

CEOs have an inventive way of staying organised, even in spite of how busy they can be.

For example, Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square and Chairman of Twitter, allocates specific days of the week for certain tasks. Mondays for managements, Tuesdays for products, Wednesdays for marketing, and so on. This allows for targeted efforts.

Even a Harvard Study suggested that employees are happier when focused on one target.

Emails have become an endless time waster. With thousands of emails cluttering an inbox, it is easy to spend entire days dedicated to dealing with them.

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh suggests a method to deal with this, with his devised term “Yesterbox”. He suggests dealing with your emails the next morning. This will create a positive work system, making you feel accomplished and create freedom from emails for the entire day.

Thirdly, we all can sense when a day lulls. Typically, this is after lunch about 3 o’clock, when the day is almost over but not quite there. With energy levels depleted, it is worth using this time to conduct your routine activities like setting up appointments or running general errands.

This will ensure that no hours during your day are wasted, meaning you are working at prime capacity.

However, you can’t be unrealistic. When you are working from home, distraction lurks around every corner. In the words of Prince, it’s “hard to do what’s right, when all I wanna do is wrong.”

His words certainly ring true about a new routine. How can you stay an efficient worker when temptation surrounds you? Keep reading to find out.

We live our lives through association – so what can we do to keep this reality alive?

Create a space in your home which is purely to do work. For example, an empty room, a side-room, or even a garage. This space will be your economic activity zone, your temple with which to sustain your work, or more simply, a place to work without distraction.

According to a study conducted by CareerBuilder, smartphones, the internet, social media and email were the biggest productivity wasters. The study states that because of such distractions, 45% of work becomes compromised, a 21% loss in revenue, and 24% missed deadlines.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom – there are ways to turn procrastination into productivity.

Using the technique of positive reinforcement can help combat this. Allocating yourself time to relax after working hard can give you something to look forward to after achieving a task.

Oprah Winfrey says to “surround yourself with people who are going to lift you higher”, and although this might be a problem during the virus, if you have other people living with you who are also self-isolating, surround yourself with productive people also working from home.

Concentrating can be hard, we all know this. Taking a 10-20 minute walk can refresh your mindset and rejuvenate the brain. However, work can feel dull and grey at home. At home, all you want to do is put your feet up and kick-back.

So how can you keep up with your workload when being at home?

It’s hard to achieve anything when we don’t know what needs to get done. Unguided and unstructured time achieves nothing except boredom.

An atmosphere of goals must be created to deal with this sense of unguided freedom when it comes to working from home.

For example, create an action plan at the start of every week for each employee or yourself as an individual that outlines what needs to be done and when.

This will set a deadline and generate a sense of urgency to maintain perspective to sustain a work drive.

We all dread dealing with admin and backlog. But how is backlog and admin work created?

Putting off work until another date is something we all do – don’t worry. But the hard bit is coming back to it.

Coming back to this dead-end work in an equally dead time like these will create time in the future for when work picks-up again.

How do you make sure the work being done is of the best quality and by the right people?

Keep reading to find out.

There is nothing worse than doing work that is already done.

Here at Shape the Market we have sustained communication internally to maintain our productivity.

For example, every day at 10 am we have a conference call to discuss who is doing what and the general wellbeing of colleagues.

It is vital to keep all means of discourse open between colleagues when working from home. From workload needing to be relieved, to being confused over a task, a channel is needed to voice concerns.

This will make work frictionless as employees will feel less isolated and more interconnected, producing a higher quality of work. Communication externally should also be maintained so as not to surround yourself with negativity.

This means keeping an awareness of news outside of the virus.

It can be hard to stay happy during this time, so how do you do it? Read on to see our tips on how to maintain a positive state of being.

Keeping healthy at home will always remain a challenge. We all know it – when at work we eat less and do more. The term “healthy body, happy mind” can seem arrogant, even condescending, because it does not understand the struggle of sustaining it.

However, exercise can be a way to keep your work-drive and ethic alive when it seems to be drifting away as we are working from home.

Exercise releases endorphins which trigger a positive feeling in your brain. Maybe it’s not all that bad?

Perhaps the term we should be using is that from Bear Grylls – “little and often” – with regards to exercise. Even 30 minutes a day can be the difference between a productive or wasted day.

But when you simply can’t bring yourself to work, what do you do?

Here comes your final problem. At home in your distraction-free environment, browser open, to-do-list at the ready…. But you just won’t work?

What’s wrong here? You’ve done everything right. You try to find a solution, you take that walk but come back feeling the same.

Deflated and in danger of causing your day to achieve nothing, you spot your headphones at the corner of your eye.

Suddenly, your feel-good playlist comes on and you demolish your inbox, and the to-do list is marked with ticks. Time well spent, but how did we do it?

According to research, music can help relieve anxiety, depression, and stress. But we all know it does much more – music makes us happy, motivated, and excited.

So keep a happy medium when it comes to listening to music as you are working from home. Enough to keep you engaged but not too much to distract you.

Everyone is in the same boat, stuck at home with nowhere to turn.

With lockdown commenced in the UK, the only thing we can do now is to continue working from home.

The Coronavirus and the impact it has had on our work, however, is far from negative. It provides a wealth of opportunities to breathe and catch-up.

While we can mourn for our social interactions, let’s shift our efforts into making these months a time for economic freedom. We can experiment with new techniques to make our work efforts and businesses more efficient.

Let us know how useful you find these tips.