Since 2 years ago, we were forced due to the pandemic to move towards total remote work. This change not only made us change personal and professional habits, as well as the need to interact with new technologies and ways of communicating.

We now have the most diverse scenarios on a personal level:

Our children are at home and doing homeschooling;
Some of us have had to spend a lot of time alone at home;
Others had to go a long time without being able to see their loved ones;
Not to mention the countless Microsoft Teams sessions we participated in, to celebrate birthdays, breaks and Happy Hours.

Nor can we forget what has changed in the professional field:

We have seen whiteboard platforms being developed and actively participating in daily activities;
We now have all our meetings virtually (via Teams);
We now have two beloved phrases “You are muted” and “Can you see my screen”;
We lost the cool office interaction and jokes.

All of this has positive and negative impacts, which is why we would like to share with you 5 tips that can help us in moments of fatigue caused by virtual meetings, remote work, and isolation.

Tip 1: Take breaks and/or include focus time.

Recently, the default meeting time has been adjusted, giving to all Siemens AG people 5-10min to ensure time between meetings and avoid back-to-back meetings, but it is important to mention that during the day (whenever possible) we should take slightly longer breaks, move away from the screen or even join a #virtualGlobalMindfulnessPractice

Remember that mental health is important and that as a team, we will be #strongtogetherin2022.

Tip 2: Whenever possible, turn on your camera during team meetings and 1:1 – This helps us to create/strengthen relationships with teammates.

We know that having the camera on in some cases can cause fatigue/stress, and research shows that when you’re on video, you tend to spend most of your time gazing at your own face, so in that sense Microsoft is working on features to help with that, and soon we will be able to turn off our self-view and focus on what really matters.

Tip 3: During video calls, please avoid multitasking.

It’s easy to think that we can use the time of a meeting to do another task in parallel, but research shows that trying to do multiple things at once cuts into performance, as we have to turn off and on certain parts of our brain for different types of work.

Researchers at Stanford found that people who multitask can’t remember things as well as their more singularly focused colleagues.

Tip 4: If you can, choose to send a message via Teams or Outlook instead of making a video call.

Check your calendar and see if any of your meetings can be resolved through a Teams message or an email exchange. This will help you have more time to focus on other topics and reduce video call fatigue.

Tip 5: Use the 20-20-20 technic for your eyes.

Constant time in front of the screen can cause/increase eyestrain, so it’s important to make sure your eyes get the rest they need.

If you find yourself suffering from tired eyes, try the 20-20-20 rule: For every 20 minutes you spend looking at a screen, take 20 seconds to look at something 20 feet away (6m).

This technic was developed by an optometrist in California, and it can help relax the eye muscles. Night light setting or Blue light reduction tools can also help protect your vision and contribute to healthy sleep habits.

That’s it! Let’s try to incorporate these tips into our daily lives and take it as a takeaway: Whenever possible, have the camera on and try to reduce the number of meetings, using chat as an alternative to video calls (using Teams or Outlook), and in addition, respect your body and mind by including breaks in your routine and avoiding multitasking.

#Siemens #Wellbeing #Resilience #E3WFC #StrongTogetherIn2022 #RemoteWork #Tips