Working from home

Is working from home working for you?

At times working from home can throw up all sorts of situations that can cause you to be less productive.  Taking the dog for a walk, feeding, and schooling the children, making sure you are plugged into the Matrix – you do not want to miss that all-important email or Teams meeting!

Setting up a home office that suits your needs is extremely important.  You want to make sure you are relaxed and comfortable during your working day…. so here are a few tips that may help.

1. Schedule: Sticking to a schedule is essential when you are telecommuting. You need to update your shared calendar, mentioning your availability. Working remotely comes with the added benefit of no commute; thus, you can start working earlier and end early, leaving additional time for your family.

2. Performance analysis: Your manager needs to know that you are completing your daily tasks on time, not just sitting watching TV instead of working at home. It would be best if you gave daily updates via Zoom and send weekly updates via email to your entire team.

3. Advantages your employer has from your flexible setup: Your work from home arrangement should be beneficial for both you and your company. Draft a proposal in such a way that shows significant positive changes in your work output, that favours the company. Suggest benefits like increased productivity, overhead cost savings, longer work hours, and fewer sick days for the employer.

4. Communication with the team: Use time slots on your calendar. Mark all the slots you will not be available. This increases transparency between you and your colleagues working from the office. Also, share your contact number with the team for any emergency when working remotely.

5. Remote work setup at home: Make sure you have a productive and practical workspace along with the proper tech and set up to work effectively from home. Be prepared with your flexible arrangement at home, including a laptop and other essentials like an internet connection, a standing desk and chair, a good pair of headphones, etc.

6. Security: Keep in mind the security side of working outside of the office. We suggest the use of VPN’s and data encryption software. It would be best if you comply with the security guidelines of your IT provider.