August 6, 2021 – wfhBuzz

Work from Home Advice

Whether you’re an employee or an employer, the massive shift to work from home in 2020 was unexpected. Many companies received little planning time or advice for managing wfh staff. Instead, many gathered work from home tips like these to create their new work environments.

Stay Organized

Whether you’re the employer or the employee, the top work from home tip is staying organized. Typically, your desk and file cabinets do this. However, your new workspace likely lacks these features unless you had an existing home office.

When you are organizing, it’s vital to work with the space you have rather than wishing for more space. To begin, see what you can keep digitally on your work device. Provided you keep the documents organized digitally, this will cut down on the paper volume. Then you can use a small folder system or mail sorter to organize any tasks that require physical papers.

Collaborate

Initially, many people did not realize how many decisions were made in five-minute conversations at the water cooler. You need to restore some of that collaboration without turning all employee days into a series of meetings. Fortunately, there is a simple work from home tip for that.

In many pieces of advice for managing wfh staff, you can increase collaboration by ensuring everyone is accessible during business hours. You may also want to try an easy messaging tool for quick communication without the formality of emails.

Take Breaks and Switch Off

One of the significant work from home tips many people have trouble implementing is breaks during the day and switching off when the workday is over. It’s always tempting to accomplish one more thing and skip breaks. Plus, since work is in your employee’s space, it’s easy for them to boot back up after hours when something occurs to them.

The best advice for managing wfh staff is to remind them periodically that they need to comply with their work agreements. Also, bringing up the legislation regarding breaks, pay, and time off at least once a month can help.

Time Management is Paramount

Creating time management can be difficult, especially when employees are used to having time management enforced by being in the office. Offering work from home time management tips is an excellent option for employee communications. Suggestions like time blocking, calendar use, and distraction reduction can improve your employee productivity.

Protect Company Data

Company data is vital for any business, and work from home introduces new vulnerabilities. Not only should you make sure there are no issues with remote access, but you may also need to remind your employees about your company policies. The best advice for managing wfh staff is sending out updated guidance that fits the current situation.

Be Flexible

Understanding that your employees are juggling multiple hats during the day is essential. Between the kids, the parents, and the pile of tasks, your employees may need a few extra minutes here and there. Additionally, consider granting grace as long as employees are hitting their work goals.

4 Work from Home Essentials to Increase Productivity

Tips & Suggestions

Home office necessities don’t have to break the bank. While the comforts of the actual office may run the gamut of dual monitors and high-speed printers, your home office setup should be a place that encourages you to be productive with minimal distractions. To make the best out of your remote work environment, make sure you have these three essentials.

1. A Dedicated WFH Space

The most important of home office necessities is the need for a dedicated working area. Whether you have a private in-home office or not, you can and should still be able to carve out a part of your living space for working only. Even if space may be limited, it’s important to try to choose a well-lit area for you to sit at your laptop and work comfortably for 8+ hours. For some that’s the dining room table and for others it’s the basement. Just try to steer clear from rooms with televisions, high-traffic areas (the playroom isn’t ideal) and the couch.

2. Comfortable Seating

Have you ever noticed that the more you slouch down in your seat, the less work you tend to do? That’s because studies have shown that improved posture led to increased efficiency at work, which may also account for why offices don’t supply cushy arm chairs for employees. Look for office chairs with lumbar support or purchase a cushion if a chair isn’t in your budget.

3. Good Old-Fashioned Pen and Notepad

We’re living in the digital age, but there’s something about having a pen and paper besides your computer when you need to jot down something quickly. Whether you use it to write your to-do list or if you have an impromptu call with your boss and need to take notes in a pinch, a good pen and notepad is a work from home essential.

Working remotely can pose a challenge and is an adjustment, but small tweaks and budget-friendly purchases can make help increase your focus and make your office away from the office your favorite place to get the job done.

Day: August 6, 2021