Many businesses around the world have their employees working remotely during the coronavirus outbreak, including our team. While there are many benefits to working remotely, there are also challenges. If you are able to work from a home office we have some tips which may help you cope with working remotely.

Have a routine

Set time each day for work time and personal time. Structure and segment your day and your calendar to be productive and block out any priorities. Try and keep work within the hours of work so you can spend the rest of the time with your family. This may be difficult with those trying to home school, in which case flexibility is important.

Create a workspace

Create a workspace with good lighting, preferably natural, a desk, and a suitable chair so you can set up to work comfortably. If your home allows, assign a separate place in the house just for working, where you can concentrate and have fewer distractions.

Breaks

Remember to get up from your workspace, stand up stretch your legs and take a coffee break, take your normal lunch break and eat your lunch outside for some fresh air and a break from the screen.

Communication – touch base

One of the challenges with remote working, especially when we are in isolation, is feelings of loneliness, seclusion, and disconnection. Make sure you touch base with your team and work colleagues, we use Microsoft Teams in our workplace to chat together. You can also schedule a video chat together or call instead of messaging sometimes. Communication is vital at this time and a regular check-in with your team will help.

Technology

Use technology that helps you connect, there are many options out there which makes it easy to communicate and collaborate with your colleagues. Here are some tools for working from home:

• For virtual meetings  – Zoom, GoToMeeting, Google Hangout
• Share and collaborate with your team – great for sharing documents, worksheets, etc – Google GSuite
• Tools for chat – Slack, Teams, WhatsApp,
• Tasks and project management – Asana or Trello

These are just a few tips, set aside some time to figure out what works best for you and your employees. Embrace the change, now is a perfect time to experiment and figure out a sustainable pattern.

Make sure you and your loved ones are safe and taken care of. Be there for your employees, and be flexible.