Tips and tricks to work from home
Angie Sofronidou
People and Culture I HR Generalist I Mentor I Mental Health I BBS (Hons) I MIB I MHRM
#Stay_home in Australia means in most of the cases #working_from_home. Since due to protection against Covid-19 disease most of us (especially in Melbourne) work from home, let's do it right.
Due to the current situation, both the government and the companies took, for the safety of all of us the decision to minimize our travels, giving us the anointing of home productivity. It is a test for everyone. It is a test for each of us and you who are doing the same right now, have to prove that teleworking, working remotely, with the right tools can be a completely viable solution. No one knows for how long we will have to do that, but for now we have to the living room our office, so here's what we can watch out for:
Keep your routine alive. Wake up when you were suppose to wake up, make coffee, open the windows, take a shower, wear the clothes you would wear if you went to the office. This will help you experience a sense of regularity, that it is a working day like the others. After all it is.
Before you start, give yourself some time. After all, if you were going to the office, you would spend some time on the move, wouldn't you? Dedicate this time to you.
Stick to the plan. Keep track of the amount of work you have to do during the day or consult your business diary. What are your current tasks? What do you need to finish before tomorrow?
Stay in line and united with your colleagues. How? Phone, mail, Google drive (to share files), Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and so many other tools will make you feel like you are all together.
Need to do a video conference? Because of the Google coronavirus and the changes in the workplace and Microsoft have started to provide free professional tools that used to cost. Alternatively, there are many other different tools you can use for free.
Stay within your work schedule. When you work from home, it is very easy to get away in time and go 12 hours without realizing it. If your job does not involve extra responsibilities due to the virus (such as jobs for pharmaceutical companies, catering companies, industries, etc.), work the same hours as you would in the office.
Do not forget to take breaks. If you would take breaks in the office (for food, for a little chat with your colleagues) do them at home.
Take advantage of the… kitchen. Home allows you to make something healthier to eat than what you might have eaten in the office. To protect ourselves from the virus, we must have a strong immune system and proper nutrition and hydration are key allies.
Get out of the house (but responsibly). Working at home should not make you feel trapped. If you do not feel unwell, go for a walk outside, the sun and fresh air will do you good. Just be sure to avoid spots that other people have picked up. It does not make sense to avoid the office but to create small groups of people in other places.
And remember: every difficulty is a "hidden" opportunity. The work environment changes, heads away from a particular space concept and the meaning of collaboration is redefined. Changing our habits will take us a little while, but it leads us to a perhaps more flexible working tomorrow. Let 's welcome it.