06/23/2020

Daily Buzz: How Couples Are Working From Home Together

Partners sharing a home have had to adjust their practices

Millions of professionals have been forced into a work-from-home setup, a challenge in and of itself. But how are remote workers managing when they share a space with a significant other? SimplyHired, an employment company, surveyed 510 employed people with live-in partners to find out.

“Our findings explore the ease of transition from working away from home to working at home, how couples are faring, and whether romance can survive working remotely in tandem,” said SimplyHired.

According to the study, the transition to a remote-work lifestyle presented challenges for most respondents, especially for couples.

“People who went through the transition together may have experienced more tension because boundaries had to be discovered simultaneously, akin to the building a boat while navigating rough waters trope,” SimplyHired said.

Those who did build those boundaries said it had a positive impact. The survey shows that 52.4 percent of participants with live-in partners instituted rules to help them work remotely together, and nearly two-fifths reported increased productivity as a result. The most common boundaries had to do with communicating schedules, wearing headphones when in meetings and moving to other areas when taking calls.

“To weather the pandemic, couples may have to set and respect each other’s boundaries," SimplyHired said. "For example, if your partner’s habit of blaring music makes it difficult to hear yourself think, try letting them know you’d prefer they wear headphones.”

Please select this link to read the original article from Associations Now.