{"id":17522,"date":"2020-08-26T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comparehero.my\/blog\/uncategorized\/how-to-achieve-work-life-balance-covid-19-pandemic-new-normal.html"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T08:02:10","slug":"how-to-achieve-work-life-balance-covid-19-pandemic-new-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comparehero.my\/blog\/telco\/how-to-achieve-work-life-balance-covid-19-pandemic-new-normal.html","title":{"rendered":"#DigitalCareers: Achieving Work-Life Balance in the New Normal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is it possible to achieve a work-life balance during COVID-19? Many employees in Malaysia were affected by the pandemic, causing everyone to experience a new career lifestyle. If you’re struggling, here are some ways and tips on how you can have a healthy work-life balance in this new normal.<\/strong><\/p> \n

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Since the pandemic broke out early this year, the line between work and life has been seriously blurred. While the world stopped moving, work doesn\u2019t\u2026 and this leaves workers shifting to a working from home instead of in the office<\/a>.<\/p> \n

We\u2019ve seen countless familiar scenarios – meetings are scheduled back-to-back, employees wake up and take 10 minutes to prepare for a conference call, and more. Although this may sound incredibly efficient for work, employees also find that they have no time for lunch, for themselves, and for their family.<\/p> \n

As things gradually improve in certain parts of the world (Malaysia, for example, has progressed from a strict Movement Control Order to a Recovery Movement Control order in less than six months), workers are starting to trickle back into their offices. However, things are not quite the same in this New Normal, and we\u2019ll explain how in the next section.<\/p> \n

How is working in the New Normal different?<\/h2> \n

If you thought that going back to work in the New Normal would be resetting your life to 2019, well, maybe not.<\/p> \n

For one, both employers and employees have been exposed to working life outside the office. Companies that are digital-first are finding even more ways to incorporate more of their lives online. On the other hands, analogue companies are finding themselves – albeit not without challenges – moving into a digital front.<\/p> \n

And you didn\u2019t know what it\u2019s like in a digital career, well you\u2019re pretty much enabled with what you need to work round the clock, wherever and whenever that is. As such, many companies are now questioning the need to even have an office<\/strong>.<\/p> \n

\u201cThere will be a long-term adjustment in how we think about our location strategy … the notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past,\u201d Barclays CEO, Jes Staley told CNBC.com<\/a>. To add to that, a survey by research company Gartner<\/a> on 317 CFOs showed that 3 in 4 intend on moving \u201cat least 5% of their previously on-site workforce to permanently remote positions post-COVID 19.\u201d<\/p> \n

This means that companies may consider being more effective with space and cash flow. How? By downsizing their office and having employees work on a split-team arrangement.<\/p> \n

That could also open up avenues for more digital remote-working jobs<\/strong>, where such employees could fall under contracts instead of permanent positions. This makes for an employment commitment that is far more affordable for companies, as they will be able to save big time on benefits and remunerations.<\/p> \n

Adding to that, companies are still suffering the brunt of the pandemic which has brought revenue to a halt. With that regarded, all employees must now be even more diligent in their work<\/strong> to ensure that they bring value to their company in order to justify their employment and salary package.<\/p> \n

On a local front, there are companies who are introducing new processes – such as using results and performance-based KPIs instead of them being based on activities<\/strong>. Derek Toh, found of local recruitment site WOBB, tells Vulcan Post<\/a>: \u201cThis may seem uncomfortable and feel like micro-managing at first, but over time, teams will get used to being accountable and realise that it\u2019s the trade-off for the benefits of remote working.\u201d<\/p> \n

In that same article, Zikry Kholil, co-founder of CSR platform Incitement adds that they no longer have fixed working hours which would typically focus on results produced based on the objective key results, KPIs and goals. Instead, they have daily 15-minute scrum meetings in the morning and an hour meeting on Mondays to review progress from their previous work, and plan for the coming week. All these are done via Google Hangout.<\/p> \n

Add two and two together, and you will see that working in the New Normal will continue to blur the lines between work and life<\/strong>. In fact, there seems to be two schools of thought – one believes in compartmentalised living where both work and play should not coexist. The other school of thought believes that balancing is a thing of the past – we are now moving towards integrating both worlds.<\/p> \n

Regardless which you fall under, the question remains – how can one achieve work-life balance in this New Normal? How can both coexist when we are so conditioned to thinking that they are set on polar opposites, and that one must push for the other to pull?<\/p> \n

How to achieve work life balance in the new normal<\/h2> \n

1. You still need to prioritise your job<\/h3> \n

Let\u2019s just start with setting the right mindset – no matter what, you still need to put very high importance to your job. That\u2019s because we\u2019re living in uncertain times, and job security is a massive issue at this point. The last thing you want is to lose your job – unless you\u2019re comfortable enough to live without an active income to support yourself and your family.<\/p> \n

With a mindset like that, it will be easier for you to make certain decisions – even if they mean having less time for yourself. But on that same note\u2026<\/p> \n

2. You need to set your boundaries<\/h3> \n

Physically or not, you need to know where to stop. Some employees have a rule of confining their physical workspace to a study room, or the dining table at most. This allows them to have proper rest when they\u2019re in their living room or on their bed.<\/p> \n

You can also set boundaries to your phones. Sometimes, airplane mode can be your best friend. Choosing a reasonable cut-off time for work communications, or opting for communications afterhours to be done via email instead of WhatsApp\/Slack, can help you break away from work.<\/p> \n

3. You need to take care of yourself<\/h3> \n

When you overlap work and life, you will definitely need to take more care on your health. Think of it as a machine being used over and over again – it will need some care and maintenance in order for it to last a long time. We hate to compare ourselves to machines, but there are undeniable parallels.<\/p> \n

In other words, you need to first invest in your own health in order for you to be able to go the distance. These three pillars of your life should be considered:<\/p> \n