Make the most of work time

The pandemic forced us to work in different ways. We learned to Zoom, to use a kitchen table as a desk, to juggle laundry, meals and screen time. Then — vaccinated, masked and keeping our distance — we re-entered the workplace. But many looked at work differently.

Brad Staats

“There’s lots of tragedy to COVID, but if we try to find silver linings, one is that it has shaken everything up and given us a chance to do things differently,” said business operations expert and Kenan-Flagler Business School professor Brad Staats. “And I think as we return to the workplace, we have some of that happening again.”

Staats, a Sarah Graham Kenan Scholar, is also faculty director of the Center for the Business of Health and associate dean of MBA programs.

In his research, Staats examines how individuals and organizations learn and improve to stay relevant, innovate and succeed. He is the author of “Never Stop Learning: Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself and Thrive.”

“A lot of my research is really my looking at what I do wrong,” Staats said. “I try to study it and make some sense of it. And occasionally that means I’m good at productivity or learning and often it means I’m bad. But I can learn some things from that.”

As many faculty and staff who worked remotely for 16 months continue to re-adjust to on-site work, The Well asked Staats for tips for University employees on making the best use of time and space.

Many people will be commuting to work again instead of telecommuting. How can they make the most of that time?

One of the reasons this time has been so hard on folks is that we haven’t created that separation between work and home. It’s just easier to do that in a physical space. I commuted into campus this morning, and there just is a natural 15-minute break as opposed to the 25 steps I take to get into the study when I work at home.

We can use that commute as a transition time. On the way in, you’re transitioning into that work mode; to do that more effectively ask yourself what steps you can take today to get closer to your work goals. On the way home, you can get back into that other role, make plans and decompress.

What’s the best use of work time on-site versus at home?

There’s not a one size fits all, so everybody is going to have to reconstruct their workdays in the manner that’s most appropriate for them and the groups that they’re a part of. If you’re in a situation where you are working at home and at the office, look at how you can restructure the workday to get the best of each situation that you’re in. For example, some people have more peace and quiet at the office than they do at home, and for some the opposite is true.

In either space, it’s a good idea to be intentional instead of just letting the day happen. When you need to complete a learning task, use the calendar to create a three-hour block of time to focus or use the calendar to set aside a one-hour block to interact with other people.

What’s the value of in-person interaction at work?

When you and I run into each other in the hallway and we start to have a conversation, I think some elements of that are really healthy. Classic watercooler chats are often fun and can be productive. There may be a problem I’m working on, and I share it with you, and you have an idea or a recommendation of someone else to talk to. Many of us have new colleagues that we may not have met in person. And for those we’ve worked with for a long time, we are rebuilding those relationships. These inadvertent collisions are helpful in building relationships with one another.

How can we best adjust our work interactions to comply with the COVID-19 Community Standards?

Probably the most important thing is to have discussions with your co-workers. In some ways, we are all new employees as we come back to work. You have to decide for yourself how you are comfortable interacting with others, within the rules of community standards, and you should ask others, “How do you feel comfortable interacting with me?” If you’re somebody who wants to work with your door closed, have a sign on your door that says, “Knock if you need something.” You can also consider meeting with others outdoors. Interacting outdoors is a wonderful way for us to recharge and spark new ideas.

Naturally, we have to plan a little bit more than we did in the past. But when things change, they give us a chance to pick up new habits, turning a negative into a positive that can be healthy for all of us.

Return to workplace tips

• Use your commuting time to transition into the workday or out of it.
• Set aside alone time to focus, as well as time to interact with co-workers.
• Respect each other’s preferences for personal interactions.
• Be open to trying new ways of working.