Help for the Home-Bound Advisor

Beverly Flaxington is a practice management consultant. She answers questions from advisors facing human resource issues. To submit yours, email us here.

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Dear Bev,

I would have considered myself an introvert prior to the COVID-19 situation. I prefer to close my door at work and focus on the investment portfolios. I’m not big on chatting with clients outside of their portfolio results. I always brought one of my colleagues along who enjoys talking about trips and family. I would choose reading a journal or article over going out for drinks after work.

It sounds like a work from home situation would be ideal for me, doesn’t it?

But I am getting very stressed sitting alone at my computer all day long and dealing with my fellow advisors and our clients largely over WebEx. I am experiencing neck pain, headaches and even nausea after 8-10 hours at the computer in my home office every day. I can’t go back to the office.

Are there things I could do for my mental and physical health while home-bound? It’s funny to me how things we think we enjoy become not enjoyable when they are forced upon us.

R.K.

Dear R.K.,

I so appreciate the last part of your question. We are all re-thinking a number of things with what has been, “forced upon us.” I have a graduate class I teach (now via Zoom) and last night one of the students, who works for one of the largest mutual fund companies in our business, was commenting on how they would never have mixed work and home-life during a meeting or a discussion. Now it is natural to talk to a colleague who might be balancing a toddler on their lap, or homeschooling a young child off the side of the desk while they attempt to do their job! I found this to be such a poignant insight into the dramatic changes that have taken place in what is really only very few weeks.