Working From Home: The Good, The Ugly, The Surprise
Amy Fresh
Advance Care Planning Coordinator
Beaumont Service Center
1. Describe what you do and who you work for.
I am the Advance Care Planning Coordinator for Beaumont Health. My role is to help prepare for and train Respecting Choices facilitators, as well as support our department in any other way I can.
Amy's serene and cozy home work-station
2. How does it feel working from home, what is your daily routine like now?
Working from home can be a bit challenging from time to time. There are the obvious perks of getting to work in my yoga clothes instead of the business casual attire I would normally wear or the flexibility of my time to offer my family. I have tried to keep my routine as much as possible. I have been sticking with the same hours I would normally work and eating lunch around the same time each day as well.
3. What is the most challenging aspect of working from home?
I have three children all home for the unforeseeable future. It is challenging to meet the needs of my job as well as the needs of the children. I feel lucky in that they are adolescents and are able to do many things for themselves, but they are getting bored at home as well!
4. What is the biggest positive change since you've started working from home?
Although I love my busy lifestyle it has been a sort of reset for us to be more present at home. I have noticed the ways in which we are communicating as a family and the respect we have for one another’s space. My children recognize when I need to be alone and focus on my tasks and I am recognizing when they need me to be their mother and focus on their needs as well.
5. When things go back to "normal", how do you hope this period of working from home will change the way we work.
My hope is that when we do have the opportunity to return to business as usual, we won’t take for granted the opportunities we are offered to be more in touch with our team members, patients, and the general population. If anything positive is able to come from this experience of stay-at-home and social distancing it is the reminder that human connection is necessary for daily functioning. I think in this age of technology we tend to believe the fallacy that we are still connected through our devices, however nothing can replace a face-to-face interaction with the people we love, work with, and encounter each day.
