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Ten Top Tips for Working From Home

Find you are working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic? Want some advice on how to stay productive when working from home, to help manage your time and keep sane! Look no further than our Ten Top Tips for Working from Home.

 

Working from home: How to Cope with Remote Working During the Covid-19 PandemiC
Ten Top Tips for Working from home: Be Organised - When working from home, its really important to keep on top of your time management. Make sure you intentionally structure your time using a schedule, goals and designated timeframes - rather than drifting through the working day. Where possible start at a set time, take lunch at a set time and finish at a set time. This will help keep you motivated and engaged day to day and week to week.
Ten Top Tips for Working from Home: Be Engaged - If you have designated time to work, then make sure that - where possible - you commit to the work. Try to mimic your work environment and switch off the news, social media and other distractions. Engaging with your workload will help to maintain productivity and will also allow you to make a clear distinction between work and downtime, as opposed to continually feeling like you are working or need to be working. 
.en Top Tips for Working from home: Be Visible In a recent study*, nearly 1 in 5 remote workers said that their biggest struggle is loneliness. Working away from all of your colleagues over an extended period of time carries an even greater risk of isolation. Ensure you compensate for the distance by keeping in regular contact with your team. Schedule regular Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype meetings; and use chat apps or even use the phone. Just don’t rely solely on impersonal email! 
Ten Top Tips for Working from home: Be Productive When you’re working alone, it’s really easy to spend time on non-critical ‘stuff’ that makes you feel busy; rather than stuff that actually produces results. Make a habit of prioritising your tasks each morning – and prioritise the most critical tasks to do first. Only tackle the other items when these tasks are finished. Perhaps consider using a to do app such as MS Planner, ToDoIst or Wunderlist… or simply a pen and paper list!
Ten Top Tips for Working from Home: Be Focused - Focus on the output that your line manager requires of you. This is how your performance will be assessed as a remote worker, so make sure you have a clear understanding of what ‘good performance’ looks like by being clear on what is needed from you and when.
Ten Top Tips for Working from Home: Be Aware - Be aware of your own mental health and wellbeing. Remote working comes with specific mental health concerns, but with Covid-19 and all the stress and uncertainty that comes with it, there is an even greater need to take care of your mental health. Keep checking in with yourself and your colleagues. Using technology to create a sense of community will help make you feel you still belong to the team which is a really important social support element. You should also make sure you know who to talk to in the organisation and what your organisation can offer to help you through this time.
Ten Top Tips for Working from Home: Be Flexible - You’ll need to be flexible when working from home, especially if you have additional caring responsibilities at home. One of the most common issues people are now facing is balancing home schooling for young children whilst also working from home. One solution is to check with your line manager if you are able to work flexible hours and fit other responsibilities in the home around your work tasks – and don’t be afraid to ask in these exceptional circumstances.
Ten Top Tips for Working from home: Be Comfortable - Make sure that you have a workspace that is as comfortable as possible. Not everyone will have a dedicated workspace at home, but consider things like: Do you have a table at a comfortable height? Do you have a comfortable chair? Does the lighting produce glare and give you headaches? Ask your organisation’s Occupational Health team for advice if you’re having any problems – but one really important piece of advice is to get up and take regular breaks, especially if you are sitting on a hard chair.  
Ten Top Tips for Working from home: Be Active - One of the perks of home working - even under the circumstances - is the flexibility in terms of structuring your own time. Make sure you take 20-30 minutes a day to move around or do some light exercise. As you will be not be having face to face meetings, you will be sitting for much longer periods than usual, so this is even more important during lockdown. Keeping physically active helps keep you alert, productive and healthy. You should also try and get out in the fresh air once a day (provided you’re not in isolation and you follow the government’s advice on social distancing).
Ten Top Tips for Working from home: Be Equipped - Make sure you are equipped with the technology you need to work from home. If you need help or equipment don’t be afraid to ask your employer or use online training and support. One of the most common issues is a slow home broadband connection. A quick tip is to look at how many devices are connected (your mobile, TV, iPad, Alexa etc) – as these will all slow down your Wi-Fi. Most routers have an ethernet (wired) port, so see if you can connect directly to this with your laptop (typically using an RJ45 connector).
Ten Top Tips for Working from home: Contact Us

Download your copy now:

(please feel free to circulate it to your colleagues if you found it useful)

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Additional resources and general advice on working from home:

– Government advice on Covid-19 for employers, employees and businesses

– CIPD’s coronavirus information hub

– CIPD ‘Getting the most out of remote working’

– CIPD: 10 legal and contractual considerations for home working

– HSE, Protecting Home Workers

– IOSH, Home Office, Mobile Office: managing remote working (2014) information guide

– How to involve remote workers in workplace wellbeing initiatives  

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