If you haven’t worked from home before, it could be a difficult adjustment experience. You’re used to having a fixed schedule and having people around you to tell you what to do and interact with and now you are distanced from both. You are responsible for your own behavior and this can actually be very challenging for a lot of people. It’s really tempting to sleep in or get sucked in to a Netflix series. Some people just sit and wait for direction. You don’t want to get caught in any of these traps.
Have a Dedicated Work Space
Try to have an organized work-space that is similar to what you are used to in the office. Try to have a desk, a chair, and a computer set up that is comfortable and set up in a professional manner. It’s generally not a good idea to setup your office so you can watch your kids. That’s usually not why you are working from home. You want it to be dedicated space to the extent possible. Now if you are working for yourself, you just need to consult with your boss to see if this is ok 🙂
Go To Work At Home
You want to try to live your life like you are going to work. Take a shower, shave, and whatever it is your morning routine normally has. Eat breakfast and basically take a virtual drive to work. Some people actually go get in their car and take a drive just to get their mind in the right mindset. It might only be 30 seconds, but mentally try to separate yourself from the house, the kids, etc. and go to work.
Home Workplace Rules
Before you start working from home, try to explain all of this to your spouse, your children, and your dog as applicable. Explain that there are boundaries. There needs to be times that you will be working and times that you will won’t be working. Make sure that other people in the household have stuff to do. For children, make sure they’re doing their work at home packets or playing board games or whatever. A lot depends on age. If your children need supervision while you are working, you may actually need to have a sitter while you are home.
Pets can be a little more challenging because they don’t understand why you are home. They assume that you’re there to play with them or to take them for walks or whatever. Try to keep the TV to a minimum for pets although there are some programs that are specifically designed for dogs. You may want to invest in some additional pet toys, chewies or snacks to keep them occupied.
The Refrigerator is the Enemy
Beware of the refrigerator. It is not your friend. Just because you have to walk past it does not mean you have to open it every time. This can be a real challenge for a lot of people. You were used to seeing your refrigerator when you leave in the morning and when you come home at night. Now it’s they’re taunting you, asking you to open it. There’s wonderful things inside that you can find. Pretty soon you’re putting on an extra five or 10 pounds and not realizing why.
Exercise While Working From Home
Remember to exercise. Just because you are at home and you’re comfortable doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get out and get around as much as possible. Try to fit exercise into your routine and make sure you take breaks because sitting is the new smoking. That thing in your basement with cloths hanging on it is probably a treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike. Dust it off and plug it in. Grab the earbuds and press the start button.
Lights, Camera, Action
If you are used to working in an office with a desktop computer, most do not have cameras. But if you are home, you are probably using a laptop that always has a camera pointed at your face. If you are using any sort of connectivity tools, the camera may be on and you don’t know it. The internet is full of videos of people doing things where they forget about the camera. I’ll let you fill in the blanks or do your own online search. This is where having a little piece of electrical tape to cover your camera can be a good idea.
Before making that first video connection make sure you are fully dressed. From the waist up is probably not going to cut it. Sooner or later you are going to stand up on camera. Also be conscious of what is behind you. Try not to have questionable or distracting things in the background. A neutral background is preferred. Be sure to tell people around you that you are on camera. Hopefully they will listen and try to stay out of the scenes. Dogs and cats are probably going to find their way into the shot at some point. Just go with the flow.
Reach Out While Working From Home
Not everyone is comfortable working from home. Loneliness is a real problem for a lot of home workers. Stay connected with the people you work with and try to be supportive. Use the tools that you are given both to do work, and help yourself and others cope with the challenges of being separated.
Tech Support
Over the years I’ve noticed that many computer problems disappear when an IT person is standing behind you. Whatever magical powers IT staff might have, they seem diminished when they can’t come to your home. I’m sure most people have a horror story of spending hours on hold with tech support in some other country. Working from home can become more frustrating when you can’t just turn over your computer to your helpdesk. Depending on how you are connected to the office, the IT staff may have limited connectivity to your machine. If you are using an office machine they may have more permissions. But if you are connecting from a home computer to your desktop at the office, there are lots of combinations of things that could go wrong. Some of these may be difficult for your tech support to help you with. Be patient. It’s probably going to take longer than if you were in the office.
Remember It’s Still Work
Try not to do anything you wouldn’t do at work. Also, you are going to be using some connectivity tools like Slack, Zoom or Teams. They tend to have the same look and feel as many of the social media tools that are out there. But remember this is work. Depending on the tool, you may be creating a permanent record of your activities that may be audit-able or subject to Freedom of Information Act inquiries.
Remember what your business is as well. If you handle HIPAA or PII information in the workplace, it’s easy to become lax because their are safeguards in the workplace that ensure security or privacy. When you are at home, many of those organizational protections are not in place. Be extra careful about your surroundings in terms of who can hear your conversations or who has access to your work computer.
Share Your Experiences
Some people are naturally comfortable working from home. Let your co-workers know what is working for you. Many people who struggle with working from home may not say anything. If you are one of the lucky ones, you probably have picked up some tips or tricks that others can benefit from. There’s probably someone who can benefit from what you have learned.
If you are a business owner and having challenges getting yourself or your team working from home lets see you can do. let’s setup a free call. It might surprise you.
