The office is empty. Virtual meetings are rare. The calendar is clear. The phone doesn’t ring. Everyone has gone on vacation… and your motivation has also taken a vacation! How do you stay invested and engaged when everyone has left?
Quebecers like to take their vacations in the summer: this year, 68% of them intended to go on vacation, according to a survey conducted by CAA-Quebec in the spring.
Colleagues left behind are noticing empty desks, fewer emails and calls, projects that have stalled… and less human contact. And while workers have learned to embrace the loneliness that comes with working from home, some are finding it harder to stay motivated when everyone else seems to be on vacation.
This is the case of Myriam Habib, a graphic designer in the fashion industry. The 35-year-old from Laval works three days a week in the office — and these days, the premises are empty.
“I jumped when a colleague arrived the other morning,” she says with a laugh. “You could hear a pin drop! I don’t get bored, but let’s just say that when 4 p.m. rolls around, I don’t hang around either. It’s boring at the office…”
Note that according to the portrait of the Institut de la statistique du Québec made in 2022, 35% of the active population has adopted the hybrid mode of teleworking. In Montreal, this rises to 45%.
“There are two types of motivation,” says Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, professor at the School of Business Administration at TELUQ University. “Intrinsic motivation is linked to recognition, feeling that we have a mission, that we are aligned with the objective of our work. And there is extrinsic motivation linked to the benefits related to our work, such as salary.”
Know yourself well
If our motivation is mainly fueled by the presence of others, this falls into the extrinsic category, explains M.me Tremblay — and we risk finding the void left in the office more difficult.
Knowing yourself well is key to getting through this time with serenity and resilience, says Manon Poirier, general director of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec (CRHA).
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Director General of the Order of Certified Human Resources Advisors of Quebec, Manon Poirier
If we know that we will have fewer interactions with colleagues, we can see this as an opportunity. We will be less in demand, we will be less busy… For example, we can take advantage of this to prepare for the start of the school year, take a step back, think about the future, do some sorting, start writing or reading files.
Manon Poirier, General Director of the CRHA
For Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, a specialist in human resources management, economics and sociology of work, better structuring your schedule, by blocks or by daily objectives, can help make these days productive and satisfying. “You can decide to tackle long-term tasks or tasks that require continuous concentration, without interruption. You can see this as an advantage!”
Reflection and assessment
Discipline is important. François Courcy, professor in the psychology department at the University of Sherbrooke (UdeS), suggests setting one priority each day, in order to feel that you are making progress.
The relative quiet of the office is also an opportunity for introspection, which he says is essential.
PHOTO MAXIME PICARD, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Professor François Courcy in the psychology department at the University of Sherbrooke
Taking stock and asking yourself, for example, am I going in the right direction? What drives me? What do I want to accomplish this year? And in five years? This is not a futile exercise.
François Courcy, professor in the psychology department at UdeS
He also believes in celebrating our successes… even when we are alone.
“I find that Quebecers, in general, don’t take enough time to celebrate their successes,” he says. “We need to be aware of everything we’ve accomplished in the last year and allow ourselves to reward ourselves for it.”
To achieve this, taking stock and thinking about what can be improved is a good way forward, says Mr. Courcy.
Expand your network
What if we miss social interactions with colleagues? We can take advantage of this to reconnect with old comrades that we rarely see, or expand our network by meeting people who have more experience and who we would like to know.
“Discussing and brainstorming ideas is very enriching,” recalls François Courcy.