Written by Vijay Damodharan

Working from home is a concept that has existed for a long time, but has only become common in recent years, leaving many unsure of the best way to work from home. Employees that work from home need to have all the necessary equipment, and a suitable environment in order to work efficiently. In this blog, we discuss a few key things people can do to make working from home easier.

1. Environment

Pick a separate space to work that isn’t your bedroom, kitchen or something that you already use regularly. Working in your bed will only make you sleepy and procrastinate!

In case you don’t have a room available, you can create a space in one of your existing rooms. Placing a table on the side of the room that you only use for working on will help your brain switch into a working mode, even in a small space.

Dress a little differently to your usual home clothes, without power dressing, to help tell your brain that it is time for work and get into the right mindset.

Invest in comfortable, possibly ergonomic, furniture. Ensure you have a foot rest, back rest, and any other equipment necessary to make sure you can work safely. 

Some employers will provide their remote workers with laptops, monitors, chairs, headphones, pay for WiFi, and many more. It depends on how much money your employer has available for funding, but there’s no harm in asking. 

2. Routine

Establishing routines is a great way to increase productivity. Start by planning your time wisely; include plenty of breaks to recover your energy, create goals to meet by the end of the day, and reward yourself when you meet a goal to stay motivated.

Inform your family and friends of your schedule so that they don’t accidentally interrupt a meeting, conference, or any other important, remote business events.  

Ultimately, home working comes with distractions, so don’t feel bad if some form of interruption  arises in the form of children, pets, or something else.

Ensure that you identify when the day has finished, so you don’t end up working long hours. Finally, switch off to enjoy a well-earned rest in the evening. 

3. Diet

Make sure you eat plenty of nutritious foods to maintain fitness and health. Although most people turn to caffeine to help reduce tiredness, other types of food such as those high in carbohydrates, sugar, salt, etc, can also give you an energy boost. 

However, remember that while it is easy to go crazy in the kitchen when it’s nearby, too much snacking can disrupt your sleeping pattern, which can negatively affect your productivity, and possibly your health.

4. Colleagues

Make an effort to stay connected with your team, colleagues, and your boss.

Create social groups, break times, and happy hours so people can interact with each other outside of a formal setting. Not only would it be a healthy break from your work, but improving your relationship with your co-workers would be a great boost to your team work, allowing you to work more efficiently and productively as a team.

5. Technology

It is important that we get as much human interaction as possible even when working from home. Using video calls instead of simply audio is an excellent way to make the conversation feel more social. Just make sure that if some people do not feel comfortable on video, or if they don’t have sufficient bandwidth, they have the option of using an audio channel.

Having a reliable internet connection, and a good, possibly noise cancelling, headset is essential for working effectively when at home. If necessary, you may additionally invest in a good camera, microphone, and any other peripherals you think is necessary. Talk to your manager about the equipment you may need if you are unsure.

6. Positivity

At the end of the day, focus on what you did complete and congratulate yourself for doing so amidst innumerable distractions, instead of fixating on things which you could have done, but didn’t do. It is important to stay positive and motivated, and remember that it is natural to not be able to complete certain tasks some days. 

Companies around the world are globally shifting to remote, virtual working. It can be a fulfilling and productive way to work, provided we establish the correct habits, routines, and environment to work effectively.

Everyone is working on something unique, with a schedule that differs from everyone else. So figuring out the best way to make homeworking effective for you, will take time. So be patient with yourself, explore different routines and options, before settling on what works best for you.

If you would like any additional information on homeworking, or are interested in hiring DPO services, please send an email to info@bivika.com.