With much of the globe shifting work strategies to account for social distancing measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, many individuals are turning to working from home. While this may sound wonderful to those who have not had the work-from-home experience in the past (and it is!), it is not without its challenges. At Bauman Consulting Group, the majority of our employees work remotely. As such, we’ve developed some tried and true tips for this over the years which we thought we would share with you in case you’re in the process of shifting to remote work as well.
1) Set up a dedicated workspace. This doesn’t need to be anything particularly fancy, but you want to have a designated space that is your “workplace”. At a minimum, you’ll want a location (such as a dining room table) where you can set up your computer and office supplies. If you can find a location that affords you some natural light, near a window perhaps, you’ll find that to be a wonderful bonus. Take some time to organize this space and set it up as similarly to your office workspace as possible. Make sure that the other members of your household understand that this is your workspace now and should be off limits. This is particularly true if you have small children!
2) Set your work hours. Your company may do this for you, but if they do not, it is imperative that you set boundaries around your time. This means identifying what hours you are “at work.” This is important for both you and for others in your life. One of the challenges of working remotely is that others (your boss, your family, your friends) and you can find it easy to blur your times. You may find yourself working more frequently because work is always right there waiting for you. Or you may find yourself struggling to put in enough hours because it is easy to get distracted by household responsibilities (I can throw in another load of laundry!) or others (I can call during the day now, because she works from home!) Setting and maintaining those boundaries are important to your success and productivity. You may find it helpful to even post those hours near your workspace as a reminder to yourself and your housemates that you are working during that time.
3) Set up a routine. It can be difficult to switch into work mode when you are working from home. As such, routine is critical. Adapt your office routine to your new home-work life. There may be some tasks that you can no longer complete from home. Other tasks may be easier. Your employer may have different expectations for your at-home work. Have the appropriate conversations with those your work with and then map out your daily schedule. This will help you to stay on task and will help you to maintain a sense of normalcy in this time of upheaval.
4) Dress for work. One of the things that we hear the most from people when they hear that BCG employees work from home is that we must all work in our pajamas. While that certainly sounds appealing, there is much to be gained by continuing to dress for work. Part of the work routine is the getting up and getting ready part! It is what helps us prepare for the shift from our home lives to our work lives. Research has also demonstrated that we tend to be more productive and more professional when we are dressed more formally. Now, we are not suggesting that you put on a suit while you’re working from home. That may be a bit over the top! But what we are suggesting is that you put the same amount of time and attention into your appearance that you would if you were going to the office. This may involve wearing business casual, or at least stepping it up beyond workout apparel. Trust us – this makes a difference in how you feel when you’re working. If you’re dressed for work, you feel more ready to work.
5) Prepare to use remote technology. You likely already utilize many of these resources in your daily work in the office, but now you’ll be using them more frequently. And if you haven’t been using these regularly, now is the time to experiment and learn.
a. Even though you work from home, you’ll find that meetings are still a part of your work week. There are several free options that you can utilize (if your company doesn’t have paid resources for you). Resources such as Zoom or Skype can allow you to have video face-to-face meetings. If your company uses Microsoft Office, the Teams platform is also a nice option for video meetings.
b. Conference calls are another way to manage remote meetings. If your office does not have a conference line for you to use, there are several free sources available such as Free Conference.
c. Instant messaging apps make it helpful for you to have quick conversations with office mates – and still maintain the friendly relationships that you had in the office. There are many great apps available. Those using Microsoft Office can utilize Yammer or can chat within Teams. Others may wish to consider apps like Slack or WhatsApp.
d. Email will be your best friend. This is a great way to stay in contact and to share information. You’ve likely relied on this heavily in your in-office work – you’ll be even more dependent on it now!
e. Do not hesitate to pick up the phone. Working from home can get isolating. While using digital technology can seem efficient, it can also result in misunderstandings. When a phone call would be a more efficient method of communication – call someone directly.
f. If you find yourself in need of office equipment that you don’t have at home there are many apps that give you the ability to transform your cellphone into these tools. For example, Genius Scan and Adobe Scan affords you the ability to create pdfs through your phone camera. Doodle is a great site to find compare availability for conference calls or meetings or to gather opinions through polls.
6) Engage in professional development. With some extra time on your hands, it’s a great opportunity to engage in some professional development activities. There are so many great online options – many of which are free of charge.
a. Utilize Lynda or LinkedIn Learning. There are great online courses that you can stream on these sites. And many public libraries offer a free way to access these online. Check out your local library’s website to see if they offer remote log-in.
b. Read books or articles related to your work. Now is the time to spend some hours reading that book on productivity that you’ve been putting off for years. Read up on leadership strategies. There are so many great books and articles out there that you’ll have no problem filling in your extra hours – and benefitting from it! If you need recommendations – send us an email and we’d be happy to provide you with some!
c. Listen to podcasts. There are some truly wonderful work-oriented podcasts out there. Recently we shared a list of our top podcasts for women in the workplace. We’ll be posting another soon that lists our top podcasts in general for working individuals. In the meantime, put google to work for you and test run some of the podcasts out there!
d. Enroll in online trainings. What better way to spend your remote time? Many organizations offer online learning (BCG being one of them!). If you’re going to have some down time, you might as well catch up on your training time. Check out your usual provider to see if they offer online options. (Or check out our list of online trainings if you’d like to register for one of those!)
Working remotely can be a great experience – if you plan for it and approach it with the right mindset. Set boundaries and enjoy the change of office scenery. If you’re like our team, you won’t want to head back to office life when the time comes!
