Home Working Top Tips

02 April 2020 by News Desk   |   SHARE  

Home working top tips to help your day: Coronavirus is changing the way we work. Home working will be the norm for the foreseeable future due to the increased risks associated with coronavirus.

What’s going on around the world is unprecedented. In such a short amount of time, many people have had to change the way they work. Here’s a few ideas for those of you who are having to work from home.

Stay at Home
The most important thing you can do is to stay at home unless you have a genuine emergency or need to do a big shop. If you can get someone to deliver food to your home or can get one of the supermarkets to deliver, then perfect. But you should only venture outside in a real emergency situation, or, if you have elderly or vulnerable relatives or friends who require assistance. To stem the spread of coronavirus and ease the demand on medical services, it is important that you self-isolate as much as possible.

Keep a routine
Try to treat Monday morning exactly the same as any other. Get showered, get dressed and stick to your usual work routine. Try to remove distractions from your workspace if it means you have to set yourself up away from the TV then so be it. Make sure that your home workspace is safe and as much as possible, similar to your office space, i.e. sit in a suitable chair etc. It is the little things that will help you through these testing times.

Take breaks
We’re supposed to take short ‘screen breaks’ every now and then but how many of us actually do? Now more than ever, it is essential that you stand up and walk around the house every hour or so. We’re not saying for long, but go make a brew, check-in with the team, walk around the garden for 5 mins for some fresh air. You need to stay focussed but in the interests in your mental health, take a break.

Communicate with the team
Whatsapp, Google Hangouts, Skype – even a phone call – can help you keep in touch with your team. You may have gone from talking to everyone in the office at least once a day – to no one at all. Technology can meet this demand. We have all the tools needed to converse with anyone around the world and collaborate if needed.

Stay hydrated and fed
Something you might forget about when working from home, but you must keep yourself hydrated and nourished. At work, how many cups of coffee will you have had by lunchtime? Make sure you look after yourself and those around you as you’re no use to anyone if you are run down and tired.

Keep regular hours
The best way to stay focused is to keep a regular timetable. If you work 9-5 usually, work 9-5 at home. Most of the people you work with will be trying to do the same, so it is a great way to attempt to carry on as usual. If you take your lunch at 1pm, take it at home also. Try to keep your home working hours as close to the hours you would usually work in the office.

Time for self-improvement
Depending on your employer, working from home can be the perfect time for you to look at some online courses or CPD. Previously you could have been distracted in the office. Now is the ideal time to sit down and complete the necessary exams and upskill you and your team.

Don’t forget your customers and clients
Not all of your customers will see your social updates or will see your email updates. The personal touch can go a long way. Spend a few minutes dropping your customers an email or if possible, a quick call and update them on the situation.

Stay positive
This could be one of the hardest things that we ask you to do. Staying positive through these tough times will be the key to success. Don’t forget your team. They might be struggling with these changes. Drop them a little message every now and again to help keep them motivated.

Stay informed
Keep up-to-date with everything that is going on in the world around you. Check reliable news channels or websites or just check out updates on Twitter. It is your responsibility to keep yourself and others around you safe, and the only way you will do this is with the most up-to-date information and advice.

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