May 11, 2020
Human resources leader reflects on work-life balance during COVID-19
Like so many of us, Mike Van Hee has been dealing with a handful of personal and professional challenges since policies to combat COVID-19 were implemented. Relatively new to U不良研究所, the associate vice-president, human resources started in his role just before the crisis. In addition to getting used to a new job, team and organization, COVID-19 threw a curve ball. Stationed at a desk in his son鈥檚 basement bedroom he reflects.
Coping through challenges
鈥淲orking from home can be a challenge itself, but when you add a full household, it gets more demanding.鈥 Van Hee has four kids, all of whom are at home with very different schedules. 鈥淥f course, there are benefits to being home and spending more time with your family, but I鈥檝e definitely noticed my work-life boundaries have blurred. Without a commute to and from work and a physical separation of home and office, I know I need to be better at setting boundaries.鈥
When asked about how he鈥檚 coping otherwise, Van Hee thanks his six-year old son Andrew for changing a habit he鈥檚 now noticing hasn鈥檛 felt healthy.
鈥淗e told me the news scares him, that鈥檚 when I realized I needed to cut back, I needed to manage down my media consumption for my own mental health and that of my family. COVID-19 happens, then you hear the terrible news in Nova Scotia, it can be really depressing.
"You can only take so much before feeling overwhelmed. I turned on a Michael Jordan Netflix documentary instead of switching on a news channel the other day, and I鈥檝e made a point to go outside more with the nice weather. Those are little things that have made a difference.鈥
New home office habits
Van Hee is working on forming other new habits, too. 鈥淚鈥檓 a bit concerned about my physical health. I tend to get stuck in the same chair for an entire workday. My main challenge is getting up and getting moving. On campus we鈥檇 be going room to room, building to building, so sometimes I鈥檒l try to schedule a meeting as a phone call rather than a video call, so I can move around while I work.鈥
For other digital fatigue tips, Staff Wellness has to help improve unique work from home setups. From workstation adjustments to simple movement-based exercises, small changes can have a real impact on well-being.
The virtual water cooler
Van Hee takes comfort in the connection he sees among colleagues in this trying time. 鈥淲hat I鈥檝e seen working for me and others are regular check-ins. While not ideal, I think the tools we鈥檙e using now are showing us how we can keep people connected and engaged. What would have been a quarterly town hall due to logistics, we can now convene that number of people weekly or bi-weekly in an online meeting.
鈥淛ust like in the office, you don鈥檛 need to jump right to business in a meeting. I hope we can keep checking in on our colleagues. Have the water cooler talk, even if we鈥檙e not at the water cooler.
"It鈥檚 easy to get right to business, but find ways to lighten it up. Our HR social committee scheduled a mid-morning coffee break last week. I popped in and heard people chatting about pets, yard work, or what their last trip to Costco was like.鈥
Leading with empathy and recognition
Van Hee sees other leaders at U不良研究所 enacting similar practices. 鈥淟eaders that I talk with are really doing a good job of staying connected with their teams. I see genuine care, empathy and concern. They recognize everyone is going through something different, whether that鈥檚 aging parents, kids at home, living alone and feeling isolated or otherwise. Everyone is dealing with something.
The best thing a leader can be is perceptive and curious and show empathy for everyone鈥檚 unique situation. Take extra time to check in.
"For myself, I ask: What鈥檚 going on with my people, how can I help them get through this more successfully?鈥
For those struggling with working from home, Van Hee stresses open communication. 鈥淪ometimes the barrier is an assumption 鈥 thinking an expectation is one thing, when there鈥檚 actually room for negotiation. We鈥檙e of course trying to conduct business as usual and do our best, but I think we鈥檙e all trying to understand that sometimes work needs to happen more flexibly. As a leader I鈥檓 trying to stay attuned to that.鈥
Van Hee looks forward to a time when he can can coach his son Andrew's hockey team again.
Final thoughts
In a time of so much uncertainty, Van Hee still hopes to learn from his current challenges. 鈥淭his time is unprecedented. I hope one of the things we can take out of this is an appreciation for the small things at work and in life: On a weekend morning, I would occasionally grumble about waking up at 4:45 to coach my son鈥檚 minor hockey Timbits team. Assuming we get a chance to play next season, I can tell you for sure I won鈥檛 be complaining about those early practices because I realize now how fortunate I am to be able to do those kinds of things.
"At work, I miss the casual, unplanned interactions with people we have at work day-to-day, whether it鈥檚 seeing someone in Mac Hall getting lunch, or passing by someone鈥檚 office and having an impromptu chat.鈥
To that effect, Van Hee is encouraging another workplace practice. 鈥淚鈥檓 seeing small acts of recognition having a real difference 鈥 verbal or , show people how much they matter, that the work they do matters, be more forthcoming more than usual. I think a few words right now can go a long way鈥攁nd we should try to get in the habit of doing it all the time.鈥
U不良研究所 COVID-19 resources
If you鈥檙e feeling distressed or need more support, free and confidential services are available. for you.
Find more mental health tips for working from home.
The University of 不良研究所鈥檚 Campus Mental Health Strategy is a bold commitment to the importance of mental health and well-being of our university family. Our vision is to be a community where we care for each other, learn and talk about mental health and well-being, receive support as needed, and individually and collectively realize our full potential. Learn more about the strategy here.
As part of the CMHS, we have implemented the . The National Standard outlines 13 psychosocial factors that foster a psychologically healthy workplace. Many of these factors, such as Balance, Recognition and Reward, and Clear Leadership and Expectations were described in this article.
Visit WellBeing and WorkLife to learn more about the implementation of the National Standard at the University of 不良研究所 and to learn about existing programs and resources that support each of the 13 Factors.
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