As we enter the start of September many of you are about to experience further change to routines that you may have had in place for a few months. Parents are preparing for school starting, a few of you with an essential need to be in the office are returning to Carnival House , and we’re openly discussing the future of working at Carnival UK and what the office environment might look like for the majority.
Change can bring anxiety and a need for enhanced support. We appreciate that it can take time to transition and build new routines whether that be getting used to working child-free for the first time since March, returning to an office environment or adjusting to any other changes in your work or home life.
Creating good habits
When adjusting to a new routine or reflecting on current ones and the improvements that could be made, it’s important to recognise both the good and bad habits that creep in.
One theory is that all habits good and bad can be changed by focusing on four simple steps; cue, craving, response and reward.
The cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.
A real life (and common) example might be;
- Cue – Your phones buzzes
- Craving – You want to know what the message says
- Response – You stop what you’re doing to read the message
- Reward – You know what the message says (but you are distracted from a task)
- Avoiding bad habits
- Cue – Make it invisible
Craving – Make it unattractive
Response – Make it difficult
Reward – Make it unsatisfying
- Encouraging good habits
- Cue – Make it obvious
Craving – Make it attractive
Response – Make it easy
Reward – Make it satisfying
Peer support
Last week we asked you to share your remote working stories and top tips in a bid to provide support to those who may still be adjusting or struggling with remote working. Many of you got in touch and we’re pleased to share some of your responses below.
- Gustav Patrick – Legal - “I built a small office in my garden”
- Working from home was a real challenge in March, April and May. We didn’t have any home office space, so I had to use a make shift desk (with a terrible chair) in the bedroom (18 hours a day in the same room is not good for you!). It was also difficult to balance being dad whilst working from home all day every day. In May I built a small office in the garden with a proper desk and office chair. Having the proper office equipment and having the separation of leaving the house (albeit it by only 5 metres) has made a huge difference. Since then, I’ve really enjoyed working from home and all the benefits that come with it.
In a moment of spontaneous madness, on 5 August we let our house out on Airbnb, jumped in the car (me, my wife and our 2 boys aged 4 and 5) and drove to Bavaria (the most southern part of Germany, on the Austrian border) – booking only a one way ticket on the Eurotunnel. We have now spent four weeks in Germany, I have been working Monday to Thursday while my wife and children have been enjoying the culture and learning the language and on the weekends we’ve been paddle boarding and swimming in mountain lakes, rollercoastering down Europe’s largest sand mountain, swimming in 34 degree natural outdoor pools, and touring with alpacas – all made possible by remote working!
- Lisa Reynolds – Interior Design - “Forget how you look on zoom, switch your camera on and interact”
- The biggest thing I have learned from this whole experience is how much I like being around others. I’ve always considered myself fairly introvert, shy & quiet, especially in large groups. It really surprised me that the thing I have missed the most since everything changed is just being around other people. I enjoy team work but it’s the small things I’ve really missed… having someone ask me how my weekend was, if I want to share the last cookie or if I fancy popping out for lunch. Being part of the team in real life is what I’m looking forward to when we can start getting back to normal. My top tip is to forget about how you look on Zoom, switch your camera on and use it as much as possible. Seeing people face to face even remotely is so important to me right now”.
- Jane Gooding – Contact Centre - “If things do get overwhelming practice mindfulness”
- I have converted the playroom into an office. I get to have MTV Classic on the Sky box and on my break, I can chuck my dinner in the slow cooker, so it’s ready for when I finish work. However, the weight seems to be creeping on! (It must be those ice creams I find myself having at break time). If things do get a bit overwhelming, I enjoy the Mindfulness apps on Fitbit. They range from 3 minutes to 45 minutes and there are a few to choose from”.
- Lucre De Aviles – Category Manager - “Use zoom to maintain relationships with colleagues”
- My personal experience working from home has been very positive and one of the main reason is Zoom as now I have more contact with my team and colleagues. Before at the office I used just to concentrate on my work and not even interact other than to attend meetings. I had no time to socialise. With zoom it is so easy to have a friendly chat and it is even more dedicated than meeting in a corridor for a quick chat.
I also think it is good for the environment not having to use transport. I am also less tired as I do not have to travel so I can invest this time to work and focus on family. It has also allowed me to adjust my working times to my baby. It has been great for me as I have been granted to work from my native home and as a family we are enjoying time with extended family.
- Heaven White - Copywriter “set boundaries”
- I’ve had a love-hate relationship with remote working. Initially, it felt like bliss. I’ve always loved the flexibility of working from home – avoiding the dreaded commute, having the quiet time to focus and wearing pyjama bottoms all day. They say you can have too much of a good thing though, and I have definitely found that to be the case.
I have frequently made the mistake of sitting on the sofa and writing with my laptop on my lap. While it’s comfortable there, work and home quickly become confused and routine and motivation gets lost. Some days, I have found that getting up early just to shower, have breakfast and wake up before opening my laptop have felt really hard. So I’ve recently taken a step back and tried not to be so hard on myself when I haven’t felt my best self while working from home, and have made some small changes to feel more positive and productive.
I ordered a HDMI cable for £5 from Amazon and found an old TV to set up a dual screen. I moved my desk from my bedroom to the spare room (which I am lucky to have) to create some work/home boundaries. If you need a desk, I’d recommend scouring Facebook marketplace and Gumtree for some absolute bargains. I put up my favourite prints and pictures on the wall above my desk (I found lots of lovely frames for free or cheap on Facebook marketplace), have positioned my chair by an open window and moved some plants into the room. I also aim to step out of my home office for an hour’s lunch, go for a walk whenever I can, and switch my computer off at the end of the day and shut the door to enjoy some proper down time.
Having those small boundaries has been a game changer for me. And just remembering that no-one is their most productive self 100% of the time right now – we all have our unique situations, so be gentle with yourself on the hard days, talk to your colleagues beyond the work emails and focus on those small things you can do to feel better and more efficient with your days at home.
- Scot Green - Guest Services “set up a dedicated workspace”
- I learnt very early on not to sit on the sofa when working from home. As soon as I set up a dedicated work space my back ache disappeared and my concentration improved.
Having back ground music/radio on helped me have a feeling of not been at home alone & keeping me in the loop of the outside world and I also used ALEXA to set alarms to remind me to take my breaks as I quite often forgot to take these when needed when engrossed in emails. My top tip would be keeping in touch with work colleges by Zoom, IM & whatsapp. Your never too far away for a chat when feeling low or in need of another pair of eyes.
- Eva Johnston – People Support - “Find a routine that allows you to juggle work and life”
- I am actually enjoying working from home a lot more than I thought I would. Being an extrovert, I thought that I will miss my colleagues, but perhaps I am not as extraverted as I thought I was. What I miss most is the opportunity to speak to and network with those that are not part of my immediate team. There are some people I have not see or spoken to for months. I wonder if I have missed an opportunity or two to collaborate on interesting projects.
At the beginning of the lock-down my 3 year old was not going to nursery and both my husband and I worked full time. That was tough! Our working day usually started at 7am when one of us logged in and then we took 2 or 3 hour shifts to work or look after our little girl. My thoughts are with parents who are still trying to juggle it all. Guy is now on furlough and Freya is back in the nursery a couple of days a week, which makes things significantly easier to manage. Well, at least for me, Guy still has to look after a 3 year old.
I really hope that Carnival embraces working from home – or at least partial working from home – going forward. Not having to commute means that I have better work/life balance and I spend a lot less money on coffee, lunches and parking. The team are doing really well keeping in touch over Zoom and our pets have by now gotten used to us being around a lot more.
- Kate Johnston – Employee Communications “Don’t be worried about admitting it’s not working”
- Before lockdown I used to work one day a week from home (well actually Costa) and I found it really productive. So I was really surprised when I didn’t find it easy to adjust to permanent home working. The biggest problem was blurred lines between work and home life – I couldn’t switch off from either.
Not long after lockdown I became quite ill and ended up being off work for a month. On my return, I was referred to Occupational Health and the conversations I had with them helped me to settle into remote working for the long term. I’ve followed our DSE guidance so I’m comfortable at my desk and listened to recommendations about taking regular breaks and having a routine that marks the start and end of the working day.
To be honest, I’m still not 100% there but I’ve learnt to go with the flow. On days where I’m totally in ‘the zone’ I’ll stay online after hours and work through my to do list. On days where I can’t focus, rather than let anxiety build up worrying that I’m not being as productive as I should be, I take a break for a few hours, switch off and come back to my computer relaxed and ready to work.
- Em North – Marketing - “Work flexibly and at times that you are most productive”
- Remote working has allowed me to work more flexibly and create a much healthier work/life balance. This has been more important than ever recently, as my partner is a care worker for a vulnerable lady who is shielding, and cannot use public transport. As she doesn’t drive, I’ve needed to take her to work and collect her at varying and unusual times, so working flexibly has been critical to ensure I can do this without impacting my work. In addition, even though I’m relatively local to the office, I’m saving around 1.5-2 hours a day in door-to-door travel time, not to mention £70 a month car parking and at least that again on fuel, helping to make the 20% pay cut more manageable.
In terms of productivity, this has also been much better since working from home for me. Although unusual to begin with, holding meetings via video call has proved convenient and just as useful as face-to-face meetings. If anything, this has actually been improved because I find we hold meetings that need to be held and have more productive meetings, rather than losing time in the office to what can sometimes be unnecessary or unnecessarily long meetings. We all work differently and are more productive at different times of the day, and working remotely and therefore flexibly has allowed me to work when I am most productive without having to juggle decisions about avoiding rush hour traffic or interrupting an office day with appointments or errands.
- Martha Rafferty – Digital Marketing “I’ve used what I’ve learnt from working remotely in previous roles”
- I’ve found working from home a positive overall with a side of needing to be careful of my physical and mental health. I used to work from home all the time when I worked for HP – none of my team were in the same country and I didn’t meet anyone from my team for 2 years – we didn’t even have Zoom back then. I loved it then and I am very much getting on with it now, the difference being outside of work time used to be spent with others in a way that it isn’t now – hence needing to pay attention to my mental well-being and making sure I am getting out of the house when I can.
- Sonia Harrington – Technical Purchasing “Make sure you move around and mix up how you communicate”
- Working from home for me has been a blessing. It’s meant that I’ve been able to see my young daughter every morning, as usually she would still be asleep when I leave. I’ve had the challenge of balancing home schooling and work, which wouldn’t have been an option if I wasn’t able to work remotely. An experience that was stressful and rewarding in equal measures! My top tips – having a routine, move around every hour when possible, if you’re having 1-2-1 meetings mix up with zoom & phone calls, take a lunch break – go for a walk & get some fresh air if you can”.
Thank you to everyone who shared their remote working story and congratulations to Katie Morrison who was selected to win the hamper courtesy of our occupational health team.
Self support
For more top tips on how to adjust to new routine and make the most of remote working there is a wealth of resources available online.
- Home working in extraordinary circumstances
- Working virtually
- Remote working foundations
- Time management and working from home
- Finding work-life balance
- Making virtual meetings work
- Managing ambiguity
You’ll also find remote working resources on The Cove and Good Practice by searching “home working”.
Supporters
If you are struggling with remote working, changes to your routine or have any other concerns it’s important you keep speaking with your line manager so they can support you.
In addition you can access details of all alternative supporters on our supporting you page, including details for our occupational health team, Employee Assistance and a wealth of external providers.
If you feel that your circumstances have changed and you have an essential need to return to the office please speak with your line manager in the first instance.