6 Tips for working from home productively

As the world of work undergoes drastic changes during the COVID-19 outbreak, many companies are suggesting or requesting that employees work from home. Working from home can be a lonely enterprise in this era of social distancing, but it doesn't have to be. Here are some tips to help you and your teams navigate this change:

1.    Build and keep your schedule

The number one challenge people experience when working from home is the inability to disconnect themselves mentally and emotionally and occasionally, physically from work. Many people who work from home feel they have no boundary. Rather than working fewer hours while at home, they work more. Create a clear start and a clear finish time to your day:

·     When do you take a break? 

·     What is the point at which you're going to say I'm finished and I won't start until tomorrow? 

Stick to the timings that work for you and your team and align your schedule with them. If you have an online calendar, create personal events and reminders that tell you when to shift gears and start on new tasks.

 2.    Create a workspace

When it comes to managing time while working from home, your workspace is a powerful tool. It's the physical and the mental boundary that you create between work and your personal life. As much as possible, you want to keep work in your workspace and you, which is everything but work, in your you space. Keep work-related activities in a dedicated area in your home, and if you need to work, go there.

Avoid the temptation to take your laptop out to the personal spaces. If you can’t set up a permanent work area, consider having a routine for getting things set up/shut down in a particular place.

3.    Know what’s important

Often confusion and disagreement can occur between someone working from home and another at the home office because there isn't a clear set of rules about how their work will be monitored and how they'll communicate with each other. If you work for a company that has an established track record and history of having employees who work from home, odds are they already have a set of ground rules and policies in place: take a moment and read those policies so that you understand what's fully expected of you.

However, many companies are in the process of transitioning to having employees work from home especially smaller businesses, and may lack clearly established ground rules. If that's your situation, I recommend scheduling a meeting with your manager to go through and find out what they expect from you while you're working from home.

4.    Stay connected

Here are a few areas that you might want to discuss with your employer to get some clarity about how and when they expect you to be available:

- What hours of the day do they expect you to be online and available?

- If your manager sends you an email, what is their expectation as to how soon you will reply to that email?

Taking a little time upfront to establish these ground rules and expectations with each other will go a long way toward increasing productivity and reducing conflict in the future.

5.     "Show Up" to meetings and be heard

When you take part in conference calls be sure to speak up during the meeting so everyone knows you're on the call. Remember to:

·      Dress appropriately and be presentable. The best part of actually getting ready is that you’ll feel more focused to take on the virtual meeting.

·       Be aware of your surroundings - Adjust your work set up so that you face a window or are exposed to plenty of light. And make sure your background is professional and work appropriate. You may not always be successful, but try and remove any noisy distractions.

·      Mute your microphone when you’re not talking- There’s nothing more frustrating than hearing that alien echo noise from conflicting microphones. Save everyone from the ear-splitting madness by joining the meeting while on mute.

·      Speak up - First of all, when you enter a small meeting (around two to five people) announce yourself when you join. It’s awkward to hear the someone-just-joined ding followed by silence. When you hop on the meeting, introduce yourself and say hi — just make sure not to interrupt someone mid-sentence.

·      Stay seated and stay present - It may be tempting to check your inbox or carry on a side conversation during a dull moment in a meeting, but don’t do it. You might miss out on key information or an opportunity to give input. If you’re using your webcam, use attentive body language — sit up straight, don’t make big extraneous movements, and don’t let your eyes wander too much.

6.    Make a plan for education and entertainment for your children

With school closures and concerns about putting kids in day care, as well as staffing those places up, parents are faced with a challenge, especially those who have to physically go to work because they have no remote work option. You'll need to make a plan for education and entertainment. Stock up on books and puzzles for example. It's OK to use streaming services and set up play dates. Another option is to set up a workspace in your office for your children. Give them a desk that’s just their size, and stock it with things like pens, paper, hole punches, tape, envelopes, magazines, and stickers.

Will you get a full 8 hours in with this strategy? Definitely not. But it might buy you more time than you expect, especially because it makes your kids feel important. And they always like being able to see you.