So many businesses around the world have been mandated to work from home for the foreseeable future, in the effort to minimize the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
For many people, working from home is new and it can be important to think about how you can still work productively. Keeping communications open is something that is really key, but here are some more of the things that you can do to maximise your working from home productivity.
Stay Connected to Coworkers
Working from home to start with, could be good for improving your focus, but after a little while, it can be hard and make you feel cut off from the rest of the business. That is why making the most of things like instant messaging and video-conferencing calls can make it a little easier to check in with your coworkers. It can help to remind you just how your work helps to contribute to things in the bigger picture. Making these check-ins something that happens as a regular part of your day when you’re at home, can be a good way to add some structure to your day and our routine.
Clearly Communicate Expectations
If you are a manager, then it is important to clearly state what you are hoping for by the end of the day, of the week or the month. It can be easy to think that your team won’t be as productive, but working from home usually has the opposite impact. But in order to make sure that their productivity is used in the right way, then it is a good idea to clearly let them know what you are looking for, and how you will track things. Then you can keep the business ticking over as usual, but you’re not having to think about what everyone is doing, as they will have been told.
Admin and Mail
A lot of businesses that are now working from home may be doing so for the first time. When you are based in an office, then there will often be a designated point for incoming mail, and perhaps even people to take care of it all, as well as other admin. But as you’ll be at home for the foreseeable future, you need to think about what to do to make sure that nothing is missed. You could look to use local mailbox services, for example, as they can redirect mail, as well as setting up a virtual mailbox if you need some help with the admin side of things. Just an element to look at, that could be something that would help you.
Lead With Trust
Having so many workers that are able to work from home can make it quite easy to want to micromanage it all. But if you take this approach, then it can create more problems than it solves. A successful working from home policy needs you to trust in your employees. If your team fails to do the work that is required, then you can act accordingly. But that should only be when it isn’t happening. Start with trust, show that they’re valued, and they’ll be much more likely to produce some great work.
