There's a grain of truth in every joke, it's often said. When a colleague mentioned in passing he feels like he now sleeps at work, we were reminded of a favorite sitcom episode where one of the lead characters, George, struggles to balance work and rest effectively. His solution? Convert his desk into a nap desk. SEE: Life after lockdown: Your office job will never be the same--here's what to expect (cover story PDF) (TechRepublic) Complete with a shelf for his alarm clock, a drawer for his blanket, and a cup holder. By leaving his suit coat gently draped over his office chair at all times, he masters the tricky balance between appearing to be always on at work and well-rested. The joke's up the moment there's an emergency announcement in the office that prompts George's boss to shelter in place under the nearest desk, where he's startled to discover George nestled on a pillow. Are you starting to feel tired at work, too? Afraid you might get discovered? You're not alone. And on a side note, it takes much for focus and concentration to attend online meetings versus in-person meetings.
Wake us up with your insights here or by joining us and extending this conversation on Twitter at @karenmangia and @ValaAfshar. This article was co-authored by Karen Mangia, vice president, customer and market insights, at Salesforce. Karen engages customers globally to discover new ways of creating success and growth together. From Executive Advisory Boards to strategic consulting engagements, her insights are central to Go-to-Market strategy, product development, marketing, and branding. In addition, Karen influences industry thought leadership in her role as Chair of the Customer Experience Council for The Conference Board. Formerly responsible for Insight Innovation at Cisco Systems, she led a global team with oversight into Customer Satisfaction and Experience, Diversity Business Practices, and Global Offset and Countertrade. Karen is also the author of Success With Less and a TEDx speaker.
All of us who can work from home, woke up earlier this year to the fact that working from home is a privilege. We also woke up to the fact that for some of us, work is not a place. In fact, working from home is working and many of us would rather stay at home working even after the pandemic is behind us. Work from home research shows that 40% of remote employees would prefer to work remotely even after the pandemic is over. The research shows that remote workers are only experiencing on average a 1% decline in productivity. Salesforce Research also revealed that 86% of remote workers rate their productivity as excellent or good. That said, there are real challenges when working remotely and doing your very best to communicate with your leadership team and managers. Karen Mangia, vice president of customer and market insights and a member of the Salesforce 's Work From Home Task Force, and I have co-authored several articles on how you can reach your full potential and deliver peak performance while working from home.
And great leaders discover how to bring out the best in others, regardless of circumstances. Esther Perel, New York Times bestselling author and Psychotherapist, believes leading renewal begins with mourning what we've all lost. And then offering a path to restore what's missing: Boundaries. Routines. Rituals. I think, in general, when people live in acute stress, either the cracks in their relationship will be amplified or the light that shines through the cracks will be amplified. You get an amplification of the best and of the worst. @NewYorker ⬇️ — Esther Perel (@EstherPerel) May 6, 2020 "It's ambiguous loss " Esther explains. "The sense that we have lost so many intangible elements of our normal lives that we can hardly identify what we're 's a loss of the way we have lived; the boundaries between work, home, school, and more; our plans, weddings, trips, birthday parties; and a loss of safety and trust in our leadership. " What I realized is that my level of trust and confidence in my colleague soared when he used humor to acknowledge what so many of us are experiencing right now.