Following the recent announcement many of us have changed the way we work and transitioned to working from home or be taking the hybrid working approach.
However, working from home comes with its challenges and difficulties that many are still trying to navigate, including us. Contrary to previous posts of ours we thought we’d talk about how your employees can help yourself work from home effectively.
Ensuring your employees are happy and comfortable with their work environment is important for both them and your company. So, if you want to support your employees further take some notes as we talk about our tips to effectively work from home.
This is from our experiences, including our learning and development knowledge that we have gained whilst developing learning content…
Set and stick to a routine
When you haven’t got a steady schedule, the line between work and personal time can become blurred. This can lead to a build-up of stress trying to figure out how to balance everything!
Try to be consistent with your sleep and working patterns if possible!
Choose a time to wake up, have breakfast and get dressed. Most importantly when the working day stops, you stop. No more emails, no more video calls, just time to focus on your personal life.
Make a dedicated space when you work from home(if possible)
Where you can, find a quiet space away from others and any distractions such as, the TV.
Place everything you need for work in one area before the day begins, shutting the door of the room you’re within if you’re able to. Whether a small space or not, try to designate an area to work.
Although, it might be tempting to work on your bed or sofa it’s better to sit at a desk or table. This allows you differentiate work from personal life and is also better for your health and posture if the setup is carried out correctly.
Give yourself a break whilst you work from home
Making time to have a break is vital to ensure you are not left feeling overwhelmed or stressed.
Make sure you take your lunch for the full period provided and regular screen breaks to allow yourself time to refocus and concentrate on something else for a little while.
Ideally, taking some time outdoors where possible as this is beneficial to your mental health.
Stay connected
Working from home can lead to a sense of isolation for some as they lose out on the interaction that often motivated or helped them keep positive at work.
However, there’s ways to stay in contact with your colleagues. Schedule video calls or phone them instead of emailing so, that you are interacting in a different way from usual.
Just remember if you’re struggling talk to a colleague or your manager!
Think long term
You may be continuing to work from home for a while, therefore it would be good to think about ways you could improve that situation over time.
Is there a better room to work in? Would you prefer to be near a window when you’re working? Have you got another area to work in that might be quieter?
In addition, think about how you communicate with others, is there a better way this could be done? Maybe there’s some new software that would suit you and your colleague more.
Be kind to yourself
Understand this is an unusual situation so, it may not seem normal. However, it’s natural to feel this way!
There will be days you might not be as productive as you normally would be and days where you might feel more energetic than normal. Be realistic with what you can achieve and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Speak to your employees if they’re working from home and listen to what they say. There could be something you can do to make their situation more comfortable and easier for them.
Take a look at our other blog posts here!
