With much of the country’s office-based workforce still working from home, either by choice or because of COVID concerns, businesses have introduced flexible work-from-home practices and policies. It has been a considerable challenge for some, while for others, it has been the norm for many years.
Suppose your business is new to home working. In that case, you’ll want to ensure you can still offer workplace flexibility without compromising productivity for your clients and employees. Here are some top tips.
Where restrictions allow, schedule monthly and quarterly face-to-face meetings with your team. If this isn’t possible, then consider Zoom group meetings and more personal Facetime meetings.
Invest in technology tools to manage your team, like Slack and Asana. Assess which software is best for your business and for your team and client work process.
Homeworking in some format is not going to go away any time soon, so have a yearly meeting planner to set accountability for yourself and your team. Pre-book the key meet-up dates into everyone’s diary so they don’t come as a surprise and everyone can participate.
Management should communicate with their team and clients as often as possible. Therefore, you should utilise a range of communication platforms that are best suited for your business. For example, Slack is great for teams, but email and WhatsApp might be more suitable for business clients.
On a personal level, plan the coming day the night before. Make sure that you have three key outcomes set out and when you want to complete them.
Have a task that you keep putting off? Then tackle the worst job of the day first, and don’t put off until after lunch. You’ll never get around to completing it!
Work in 25-minute chunks with a five-minute break to stretch your legs and clear your mind.
If you’re working in a shared space at home, turn off the TV/radio, remove your headphones and limit any distractions not related to your work. If you can’t access them in your office, then don’t multitask at home.
Reward yourself after each achievement with a tasty lunch or a fancy coffee. Or take a more extended break.
Considerable research shows the importance of getting dressed for work even if you aren’t leaving the house. So, don’t sit in your PJ’s all day – it really does have an impact on your productivity. And ensure your staff are doing the same.
If you don’t have a dedicated office at home, experiment with locations around the house and find out where you are most productive.
Break up your day with some fresh air, take a walk or exercise. This is especially important if you are the only one at home. Try using a standing desk, if possible, throughout the day.
Just because you are working from home does not mean you can forget best office practices. For example, block out your diary just as normal if you were in the office at meetings. And schedule what you are working on.
It is all too easy to blur your working day into your home homelife, so set boundaries. For example, agree on a time that you will stop working, turn off the laptop and stop checking your phone.
Don’t fill your commute time that you got back with more work. Instead, make personal use of that time with exercise, spend time with family or friends, or develop a new hobby or skills. Enjoy the extra time you have each day – you will miss it if it goes!
Source: Simon Kallu GrowFactor.com