Workaholic, dreamer or recluse. What type of remote worker are you?
A new global study uncovers the 3 types of personalities that have emerged due to the extended period of telecommuting experienced by professionals.
“It is natural that different types of personalities coexist in the same work ecosystem.
The challenge now is to try to understand what factors of remote work can expose professionals to experiences of exhaustion, discouragement or isolation, and act accordingly to ensure the health and well-being of each one of them”,
We developed a new digital guide to surviving teleworking, which analyzes the three main personalities that have been born in this new work context:
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1. The Workaholic
You work compulsively or beyond the necessary hours every day, losing essential time to sleep, be with your family or enjoy your personal leisure.
The workaholic is a workaholic; he likes what he does, and sees his workday as the basis on which to structure and differentiate the rest of the day.
Additionally, some workaholics act this way because they feel compelled to prove to their boss that his productivity doesn’t change when he works from home.
The biggest threat to a workaholic is burnout: they don’t take enough breaks for a quick snack or lunch; he doesn’t have time for personal moments, and he works so hard that he doesn’t interact socially with anyone.
All of these factors together can lead to serious physical and mental exhaustion.
This type of personality must create a line that separates work from personal life as clearly as possible. It is recommended to create a specific and exclusive environment for teleworking;
establish a routine with a fixed time/limit to avoid excesses; organize the priorities of the day so as not to lose focus; take frequent breaks;
maintain contact with co-workers on a regular basis; and try to end the day with a scheduled personal leisure activity, such as a mindfulness session, a HIIT class, or a Netflix series.
2. The Dreamer
The dreamer is a type of professional who is easily distracted during his working day by the activity that occurs at home, or because he himself generates it within his home.
Consequently, he goes from moments of concentration to moments of great distraction throughout the day.
The natural diversions of his mind can lead him to projects or work that he does not coincide with what the person in charge of him expects of him.
A dreamer’s satisfaction with remote work can be low, and there is a risk that they will fall into a situation of discouragement.
Although working from home is an excellent opportunity to avoid typical office distractions;
for a personality like the dreamer, the sudden lack of structure in your workday can end up sapping or inhibiting your productivity.
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This personality type should spend the time commuting to the office to a substitute activity that serves as motivation/activation to start the day from home.
Likewise, getting dressed will help you feel like you’re in a professional environment. Maintaining other regular routines and habits will significantly help you pick up the pace and focus on your tasks.
If the silence or noise in your home distracts you, playing music in the background will help you concentrate.
Finally, the dreamer personality has to establish some objectives and minimum tasks to be carried out each day;
just as it is convenient for them to get involved in team projects that force them to respect and meet certain deadlines for response and delivery of tasks.
3. The Recluse
A victim of the excessive comfort of his home, the reclusive personality tends to wear the same clothes every day, prefers to avoid contact with co-workers, and is adept at hiding behind emails, his main form of communication.
What is the risk that hangs over this type of work personality? The isolation.
Although he does his job well and achieves his goals, both his managers and his colleagues must be aware that maintaining long periods in these circumstances can have a negative impact on the professional’s mental health and well-being.
This type of personality should strive to give preference to phone calls and video conferences for any matter that involves writing more than three or four lines of text;
focus on quality communication and participating in team meetings, both work and social. All of these actions will help improve your motivation and sense of connection with your co-workers.
Ultimately, helping others, using time at home to increase your skills and training, and being proactive in creating new opportunities to network with your team will alleviate the negative effects of having a reclusive work personality.
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Suggested Business Hours for a Workaholic:
7.00 Wake up
7.15 Do a pilates or yoga session or another sport
7.45 Shower and get dressed
8.15 Have breakfast while watching/reading the newspaper/news
8.45 Organize your tasks for the day in order of priority
9.00 start teleworking
11.00 Take a break to have a coffee or something to eat, or talk to a teammate
11.45 Back to work
13.00 Lunch: get up and leave your work area. Devote at least 30-60 minutes for your body and brain to rest. Take a walk down the street; prepare food, take a nap or read a book
14.00 Return to work
15.30 Take a break to have a drink, hydrate yourself; talk to a partner, do a household chore that doesn’t take a lot of time (for example, making the bed, hanging the clothes)
15.45 Return to work
16.30 Start managing your last tasks of the day and set yourself times to complete each one. Avoid starting a new task if it is complex or will take several hours to complete
17:30 Check the emails you need to answer before the end of your day
18:00 End of the day: close your laptop, go for a walk, watch a series or do something that helps you relax
Suggested work hours for a Dreamer:
7.00 Wake up
7.15 Have breakfast while watching/reading the newspaper/news
7.45 Do physical exercise
8.15 Shower and get dressed
8.45 Start teleworking: set yourself some goals for the day and organize them by urgency and importance. Underline tasks or deadlines that you must meet
10.30 Take a break to have a coffee or something to eat, or talk to a teammate
10.45 Back to work
12.15 Get organized again: Analyze your tasks and evaluate your progress. If you are running late, set yourself new goals for the afternoon to ensure your productivity
12.30 Lunch: get up and leave your work area. Devote at least 30-60 minutes for your body and brain to rest. Take a walk down the street; prepare food, take a nap or read a book
13.30 Return to work
15.30 Take a break – drink water or make yourself a tea, and stretch your legs. If you have been sitting with your laptop until now, try not to look at a screen, including your phone
15.45 Return to work: Review your goals for today and assess your progress again. Focus on finishing the most urgent tasks before the end of your day
17.15 Start preparing the last tasks of the day, and set specific deadlines to finish the pending tasks during the next day
18.00 Turn off your laptop. Giving your workday an end will help you improve concentration, and prevent you from working late into the night to finish tasks that should have been done during your work hours.
