It’s a rapidly developing situation currently around coronavirus, and we aren’t here to offer advice on this.
But we did think it might be useful to share some of our experience for colleagues who find themselves suddenly working in a home environment, given how so many of our clients are asking for guidance around home working in the current crisis.
Many of us already work from home some of the time, but might now be asked to do it for an extended period of time. We don’t have all the answers, but keeping people healthy at home could be a huge area for all of us to support over the coming months, so we’d be interested in everyone else’s thoughts as well. Please join in, and in the meantime here is our starting point which we hope will be helpful.
Keep the same morning rituals as if you were heading out to work. Working from home for an extended period of time takes discipline and needs structure. This is your home not the office, but for a while it is going to be both. The same applies for the end of the day.
Give some thought as to how you can improvise a mock office setup at home. This can sometimes be a challenge, and some good advice here is to mix up your working styles, particularly if you are using a laptop. Making use of the dining table, sofa, even the ironing board, can help you incorporate sitting, relaxing, or standing for a while. These differing work patterns will give some much needed movement and help you avoid to avoid being static and sedentary. When we work from home we often don’t have the prompts to take breaks that we naturally get from being around work colleagues, and this lack of breaks can lead to a dramatic drop off in work performance.
If you are lucky enough to have an office setup and the right equipment, make sure you know how to use it and adjust it, and if you are not sure, then reach out and ask. Many of the better office chairs for example will have online materials such as videos that can help here.
Ensure you stay hydrated, and that you’ve got plenty of light. Sit near a window if you can, or at least ensure you have a suitable light. Home lighting is typically not as good as office lighting, which can lead to eye strain and headaches. Another idea we like to reduce eye strain is the 20 / 20 / 20 rule, where you look 20 feet away from your screen for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
Physical isolation shouldn’t mean mental isolation. Stay in touch with your colleagues, even if it’s just to see how they are doing, as they will be going through the same experience as you, and it’s a chance to share ideas as to what is working for them and for you. At the end of the day, switch off, pack up and come home.
Comentários