With a global pandemic looming all over us and the insecurities around our livelihoods, we already have a lot on our plate at the moment. Yes, the popular opinion that if you have a job that’s paying your bills at the moment stands absolutely true. However, while the world experiences the greatest work-from-home experiment ever, many of us are also trying to make it through the days while handling household chores, kids and their school work and other home issues.
No doubt that we’re all in this crisis together but we are definitely experiencing it in a different way depending upon our family, health and financial status. If you’re someone who’s struggling right now, you’re not alone and thus, talking about your challenges and letting your manager know about your situation and issues can create some breathing space for you and might also create a better way for you to deal with your situation.
Here are 5 ways in which you can talk to your manager about your WFH struggles:
1. Recognize Your Distress And Needs
First thing first, before you plan to talk to your manager, you need to sit down and identify your issues. You might not be able to do that immediately — let alone recognize things that would truly help you.
And this is why it’s important to pay attention to your current response to your job or your recent project. Ask yourself if you are ready to take up any new or top priority projects. See if there’s any work which is triggering or adversely affecting your mental health. Check if you have a stronger reaction to any ongoing project which already was too heavy is causing you distress because of the heightened stress right now.
Answering these important questions will not only allow you to identify your problem but will also make you prepared so that you don’t come across to your manager as a person who’s ungrateful to have a job and is a whiner.
While you’re at it, you can also work on a set of possible solutions you can provide to your manager. Working on these solutions will also help you identify the things that’s causing you major stress. For instance, maybe you need to cut down on the Zoom meetings or maybe lower/avoid any interactions with your clients for some time if it’s triggering your anxiety.
Another aspect that you might want to check is flexible working hours. This can come handy especially for people who are also managing full household chores at the moment. It will also help you schedule shopping hours during off-peak hours and also allows you to take frequent breaks.
Now this can be a bit tricky since not all companies provide flexible hours or can go easy on any changes you request. But unless you ask, you won’t know if your company can provide you with some sort of accommodation, if not exactly the ones you’re looking for.
2. The “Who” Factor
Now this solely depends on the size and kind of organization you work for and the kind of hierarchy they follow. The kind of relationship you share with your immediate boss and manager also plays a key role in it. Also, check on the HR team of your organization and track a record of how they have interacted with other employees and you in the past on personal matters. All these aspects along with a good understanding of your company’s culture can help you decide who you can talk to about your request.
It would be smart to involve the HR from the beginning even if you share a very good working relationship with your manager. It will save you legally and also try putting everything in a written manner to avoid any ugly consequences.
3. Plan a Separate Meeting To Discuss Your Issues
Now that you have decided who to talk to write an email to them telling them what you want to talk about and book a one-on-one with them outside of your routine work discussions. Scheduling it out of the work discussion hour is absolutely important because then you’ll not feel rushed during an already difficult conversation.
But also don’t try to stretch your conversation. Try keeping it to 20-30 minutes tops. Your major goal of the conversation should be to let your manager know about your struggles and come up with solutions that would help you maintain a healthy work-life balance and also keep your mental health in check.
If you’re looking for emotional or mental support, ask the manager about the resources that your company offers to its employees which could be helpful for you.
Many companies offer free therapy sessions of discounts on therapies and meditation apps. Check if your company does that too and if available it will help you deal with your struggles.
4. Come Up With A Suggested Solution
Since you are already prepared with your problems and the areas that are triggering you, this is another step in telling the management of the organization how they can help and make things a little easier for you. For instance, tell them about your request and see if they agree to it or if you both find some middle ground and come up with another solution that benefits both you and your organization.
All said and done, remember the first step is to ask. Unless you won’t ask, you won’t know what assistance is available for you. These are not our regular times and things can work differently than they always have. Do you want to shift your schedule to nights or want to work on weekends? Ask! Do you think using a week off (even if it’s unpaid) will help you in recharging yourself? Ask! Do you think your company can provide you some resources to your at-home office tso that your client meetings run more effectively? Ask!
And now that you have a clearer picture: go ahead, plan that meeting and talk it out. Now is the time. Don’t wait or procrastinate. And above all, don’t struggle in silence. Remember, it’s important to talk and ask for help.