Working from Home
Much of the world has been affected by the pandemic this year, and many of us have had to shift our working lives to our homes. A number of large tech companies have shifted their workforce to remote working for at least the next year (or permanently, in the case of Square and Twitter, both run by Jack Dorsey) due to health concerns. If your company is also thinking about the long term strategy of a remote workforce, here are a couple of tips to keep your employees - and yourself! - happy.
Remember to be patient with yourself and others. The transition from office life to the home has been stressful for a number of reasons; workflows in the office may not have initially been adapted for the home environment. Video calls were seldom used amongst your team in the office because you all sat together. Your kids now surround you! Understanding we’re all people who can adapt to change, with the right tools and time, will motivate you to design your home office space, your new home workflows, and your work/life balance around this unprecedented time at home.
Maintain regular working hours, and keep work laptop time outside of these hours to a minimum. Your mileage may vary of course, depending on how your team works, or what time of day you work best. You’re not a morning person? Shift your meetings to the evening. You like going for a run during lunch? Block that time off in your calendar and ensure people can see your calendar’s visibility. I find myself keeping regular daytime hours for work with meetings after lunch. Before I’m done with my workday, I’ve blocked off 30 minutes to wrap up my day’s work and I close my laptop lid and try to avoid looking at my work phone.
Maintain a routine outside of work. Your home is now your office, but separating your workspace from the rest of your life will help you compartmentalise the time you need to focus on your work, and everything else. Don’t feel bad about unwinding with Netflix, or listening to music when you’ve finished your last meeting for the day. If you start feeling guilty, pretend like you’re commuting from the office to home. Only spend the same amount of time unwinding as you’d normally do during commuting. Below is a great video about separating the different parts of your life while you’re home.
Your equipment will make the experience easier. See if you can buy and expense a good external monitor - personally, my productivity increases when I have more screen real estate. If you work many hours in front of a screen like me, invest in a standing desk to keep you moving, good accessories (like a keyboard and mouse you’re most comfortable with), and maintain good air circulation and quality with a window a/c unit for the summer months. Simple home automation can make life easier; my lights turn on automatically when the sun sets, my air conditioner turns off and on depending on whether my phone is connected to my home wireless network, I have Google Nest Minis dotted around my apartment to control my TV and home speaker system for when my hands are full, and I need to set a reminder, or play some music. Noise-cancelling headphones, a good home Wifi system are great additions too. Remember to keep your receipts if your company allows reimbursements! If your IT department can send you the equipment you need, even better!
There are plenty more tips over at The Verge; when it comes to video conferencing and setting up your camera and lighting, tips on using Gmail and Outlook, how to engage your remote workers, and the kind of coffee machine you need to stay awake through your Zoom meetings.
If you require assistance with your home office setup, get in touch with us at contact@hba.consulting or use the form below and we can discuss options that match your budget and equipment needs.
