Work from Home : What We’ve Learned So Far About Working from Home
- Challenging work/ life balance
There’s always something else that needs to be done, another call to take or a virtual meeting to attend. Drawing a line between work and “home time” it proved to be challenging for people around the globe.
So what can we do to sustain our efforts? Here are some ideas that we’ve tried so far:- Work with a clear schedule in mind (schedule breaks in advance)
- set up reminders on your phone to take breaks
- schedule (on your calendar, yes!) home/ personal tasks to be completed at the end of the day such as preparing dinner, tidying up etc.,
- define a specific home office space and make sure you work from there only,
- set up clear guidelines with your team and co-workers on when you are available (e.g: 9 - 6 pm).
- Missing social interaction
Put time aside on your calendar for a virtual Team Coffee or Happy Hour (we’ve just learned about this from a senior HR professional, currently based in Panama, and managing a globally diverse team of 300+ people). Have lunch together (yes, it’s possible) by organising pizza delivery to your team members’ houses and enjoy an online social lunch. There are so many ideas out there, you just have to choose what works best for you and your team. - Technology hiccups
Nowadays, the Online is the new normal and we’ve never been more dependent on a stable internet connection, as we are today. While there’s nothing much we can do about an internet outage or an electricity power cut, we can prevent other minor hiccups by ensuring all our employees have access to video conferencing and remote working platforms and applications. Also, making sure that clear user guidelines are in place can prevent overload on certain systems that your organisation is using. Ensure your key people have access to alternative internet connection solutions - a mobile hotspot device (MiFi)- and even a spare laptop/ tablet that they could temporarily use in case their computer crashes. Lastly, ask everyone to back up their work and data, as a precautionary measure for unforeseen situations.
