Hacks for Remote Workers During Self-Isolation
Kelly Baldwin
Recruitment Agency and Travel Agency Owner - Enjoying the Best of Both Worlds ??
With the possibility of remote working becoming reality for those who are able to, at Aspire Cambridge we want to make sure that employees are prepared and equipped to work from home where needed.
Whilst home working may not be ideal, it is currently looking like the only solution to keep the UK economy robust and ticking over. This has meant that a lot of employers who may not normally like the idea of giving their staff so much freedom will have to open themselves up to making their workforce more flexible. And to make any employers reading this feel more comfortable, it has been found that those offering remote working find that staff stay longer, many have seen a productivity rise of around 30%, workers are up to 82% less stressed and overhead costs such as furniture, electricity and real-estate dropped significantly – win-win!
So, at least for now, remote working looks like the future, but it has to be productive to actually work. Workers need to ensure that whilst they are at home, they carry on delivering as much of the same output as they would in the office. However, this can be difficult when working in a different environment than you might be used to, especially in your own home which, for the most part, is associated with relaxing after work.
How do you keep on top of things and make sure home working works for you?
Plan!
Just as you would in the office, devise a rigid, strict plan for your day or week, almost like a school timetable. Schedule time for calling clients, customers, any admin, emails and whatever else your day may consist of. Make sure that you block out space in your schedule for breaks, either a lunch break or some smaller ‘tea breaks’ throughout the day; you don’t spend 9-5 staring at your computer in the office without small breaks, so why should home be different? Wake up every day and re-enact your morning routine – getting ready as if you are going to work ensures that you have a distinct separation between weekdays and weekends, and don’t let the two blur together.
Build a home office
Don’t worry, we don’t want you to take on any major DIY work! We know it may be hard, but do not go back to bed with your laptop; you are already getting a lie-in, you don’t need any more time under the duvet! Just make sure that you have a space that becomes your ‘work area’, be it a desk or kitchen table. It needs to be clean, uniform and free of distractions, preferably away from a television. Try and ensure that outside of work hours, you either pack everything away to use the area, or turn the light off in that room and don’t use it until work the next day.
Divide and Conquer
If you have woken up early, showered, dressed and sat at a beautifully pristine workstation with the tv off but you still find it hard to divide time between work and home, try and put In place some stricter boundaries. For example, try not to take work calls on your mobile, stay off social media during the day (if social media is part of your job, make sure that you are only logged into business accounts, stay away from personal ones) and avoid using your work laptop for any personal use.
Pomodoro Technique
We know that this sounds like a delicious pasta dish, and you’re now probably wondering what to have for dinner but please, stay with us. The Pomodoro Technique is a handy trick to help you stay focussed throughout the day; it mirrors how you would generally work within an office environment, with bursts of activity interspersed with small breaks, for example a coffee break, talking to a colleague etc. This smart hack involves setting a timer for 25 minutes, during which you work on a task. When the timer goes off, have a small three-to-five-minute break. After doing these four times, take a longer break of fifteen to thirty minutes.
Take Time for YOU
It may be easy while having a workstation set up at home to just ‘pop online’ to check emails or messages, but make sure this doesn’t turn into sitting on your laptop working until 1am – believe us it will not be long until you start to burn out. Take a proper lunch break, eat well and get some exercise every day. During this time of social distancing and self-isolation, make sure you also spend some time in the garden, on the balcony or open some windows to let fresh air in. It will make all the difference and leave you refreshed.
If you are looking for help with home-working, be it policies or finding a role that gives you this flexibility, contact our team of recruitment and HR professionals.
Headquartered in Cambridge with regional presence in Kettering and Milton Keynes, Aspire Cambridge provide cost effective Recruitment and HR solutions to an impressive portfolio of customers spanning the UK and Europe. Working with a diverse collection of industries from start-ups to blue chip companies covering a vast range of sectors. Aspire Cambridge has an unrivalled knowledge of the jobs marketplace so it’s no wonder that they hold an impressive track record of exceeding client and candidate expectations.
How do they do it? By “Placing People First”.
Contact Aspire Cambridge:
01223 855440 | Cambridge
01536 295460 | Kettering
01908 926610 | Milton Keynes