Things that you should and should not do when working from home
The dos and don’ts of working from home
Making the transition to working from home might be challenging for those who are not accustomed to it. Check out our list of the top 10 things to do and avoid so you can make the transition smoothly.
Things that you should and should not do when working from home
It can be difficult to adjust to working away from the workplace. We present some dos and don’ts for adjusting work from home.
It’s an undeniable fact that more people are working from home than ever before. This could be because they want to cut down on their commute time and vehicle emissions, so they have more time to care for friends or family, or because the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) limits how far away they can be from other people.
Working from home has a lot of benefits. One of the most common is that it makes you more productive. However, loneliness and trouble communicating are real risks.
You’ll need some basic rules and guidelines to make working from home work. Here are the most important things to do and not to do when working from home.
Maintain consistent touch with your team when working from home
Working remotely does not necessitate working “alone” or without access to critical files and systems; with the help of modern digital technologies, remote work should be virtually identical to office work. While you won’t be able to share a quick cup of tea with coworkers and friends, communication platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, DOJOIT.COM, and Workplace by Facebook will let you stay in touch with coworkers.
Choosing a cloud-based HR system will also make it easier for your organization to communicate with its employees and for employees to perform tasks like updating their personal information, logging absence and vacation requests, and reviewing targets.
Do not snack throughout the day
You don’t have to snack all day just because you’re not at work. One of the bad things about being able to work anywhere is that we usually end up either at home (where our fridge and food cabinets are close by) or, even worse, in a coffee shop or cafe, where there is a lot of tasty food to choose from.
One way to avoid temptation is to only buy healthy food. If it’s not at home, you can’t eat it.
Dress decently in WFH
Your productivity and state of mind won’t improve if you choose to go through the day dressed in your robe. Take a shower, brush your hair, and put on something that makes you look presentable.
Although it is unlikely to be necessary for you to dress in the manner in which you often do for work (especially if you typically choose to wear a suit), you should nevertheless make the effort to look presentable. You wouldn’t want to be caught on camera wearing your pajamas while participating in a video conference, which is becoming an increasingly common method for companies with distributed workforces to maintain connections with one another in Work From Home.
Work From Home Fact: No TV!
Putting on your favorite Netflix show is likely to be a distraction and a significant hindrance to getting stuff done, whereas you might find ambient noise, the kind that replicates the gentle chatter of the workplace, to be soothing and help you focus.
Ambient noise is the type of noise that replicates the gentle chatter of the workplace. Choose to listen to the radio instead – whether it’s a station that plays classical music or one that plays more commercial music, like your local station – or take your pick from the never-ending stream of “music to work to” playlists that can be found on websites like Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube.
You will have a never-ending source of new music to explore if you subscribe to the email newsletter Flow State, which delivers a new artist to your inbox most weekdays.
In a nutshell – Work from home fact: NO TV!
Obtain appropriate working from home tools
If you’re expected to be working from home often, your employer should have bought you things like a laptop and cell phone to help you do so. But you can’t (or shouldn’t) be expected to work from a laptop all the time. Doing so could lead to serious problems with your muscles and bones in the future.
Set up your home office as well as you can, with a decent chair and desk and an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard for your laptop. Some employers will give their employees money to buy this kind of gear.
Do not work from anywhere, work from home
While a change of environment might assist to stimulate your creativity, having a routine and a designated workspace is crucial. Consider joining a local co-working place, where you may network with other professionals, instead of squatting in a coffee shop.
And no working from your couch or bed, regardless of how tempting it may be. This will cause back difficulties, make it very tempting to go back to sleep or slack off, and is inappropriate for a video chat.
Do decorate your WFH workspace
If you’re going to be working from home a lot, try to make your workspace as pleasant as possible. That means getting everything you need, like pens and pencils, notebooks, and tissues, as well as things to make the room look nicer.
Try putting up pictures or photos of your family and friends, a bulletin board, and maybe even one or two houseplants. You might also want to get a desk lamp so that your eyes don’t hurt on cloudy days.
Do not neglect the necessity of frequent rest breaks when working from home
When working from home, taking a break is essential to productivity, regardless of whether you are working in the office or from home.
Even if you only step away from your screen for a few minutes at a time, you can reduce your risk of developing headaches, eyestrain, and back pain. You can make your break more helpful and productive by choosing to eat a nutritious snack or by working in some exercise, preferably in the fresh air if you have the opportunity.
Ten minutes spent practicing mindfulness or meditation can provide a significant increase in creative output.
Organize things for WFH
By getting your home office (or your work bag) in order, you may save yourself a lot of time and aggravation by making sure you have everything you need and that you know where it is.
Make a list of the things you use on a regular basis and check to see that you have them with you if you are working in a location that is not your typical workplace or your office at home.
The 9-to-5 is not all there is in case you work from home
Work when you can do the most. Some of us like to get up early, while others hate having to get up so early.
If you work from home, and as long as you’ve told your coworkers, you can make the most of the time when you feel most motivated and productive by working during the hours that match your internal clock and natural rhythms.
