So, a lot of us are now having to work from home and we have been left to figure out our new routines. This might be a hard thing to get your head around if you are used to working in a traditional office setting, but there have been studies which show that workers are more productive at home.
Harvard Business Review found that call centre employees working from home for a travel website were 13% more productive than in-house employees. That may not sound like a lot but that averages out to nearly an extra day a week of work.
People that work from home are more likely to work later and take fewer sick days. Entrusting employees to work outside of the office allows them more flexibility to schedule their working day, especially with the use of asynchronous communication.
Wherever you are working, it’s important to set up the right office space both physically and virtually. You need the right equipment and communication tools to keep up to date with colleagues and clients.
Here are some tips to help create the best virtual workspace when you have to work outside of the office.
1.Get a Good Connection
Make sure you get a broadband package with a high speed so you can stream video and audio files and smoothly conduct a video call.
But, what happens if disaster strikes and your wifi goes down? Since we cannot work without an internet connection it’s good to have a plan B. Hot-spotting off your mobile data is always a good alternative, so it is important to have a plan with a good data package.
2. Physical workspace
It’s tempting to do eight hours from your bed, but that might not be the best idea. Mentally it is really important to separate work from relaxation. Working and watching TV in bed can really affect your sleeping pattern. Try to find a designated workspace. This doesn’t have to be a full home office, but at least a desk and chair which you can sit upright in. An ergonomic chair will be the best for your spine and reduce back pain. The sofa won’t do.
You also need the right equipment. A laptop or tablet is the minimum you need to be able to set up shop wherever you go.
To reduce repetitive strain injury, get a USB mouse. Most people also use a smartphone for work so they can respond to emails and messages on the go. If you are looking at working from home in the long term, it might be worth investing in a printer and a scanner for when you need to send or receive something as a hard copy.
Although we take a lot of our notes virtually, it’s always a good idea to have notepads, sticky notes, and labels. Even though everyone has a google calendar, it could be good to have a paper diary to keep track of different projects.
Set up whatever you need to get yourself into the right headspace. It will depend on what type of work you do as to what physical equipment you need. If you are going to work from home for a while it might be worth dedicating a whole room, or part of one, to be your full-time home office.
4. Digital workspace
As well as the physical equipment and workspace to make your job easier, there is some software that is essential for working at home. You will need Microsoft Office, or an alternative package which provides you with a word processor, spreadsheets, and presentations. You will also need a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat. If you create or edit graphics and video, you may need an Adobe Creative Suite subscription or alternative single payment programmes.
Whatever line of work you are in, you will need to communicate with colleagues and clients. An email account, such as Outlook or Gmail, is essential for this. You will also need a video conferencing tool such as Watch and Learn, where you can have all of these tools in one place.
5. Storing on the Cloud
Rather than having mountains of paper copies and endless hard-drives, cloud-based storage offers access to your files from multiple devices. This can help protect your data with a digital backup in-case your computer crashes. Popular services include iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive. Most of these can be accessed from a computer or mobile device. These systems streamline communication, making it easier to share files and add comments.
If you are going to use a cloud storage system, it is essential you take some precautions to keep your data safe. It is important to have good anti-virus software that checks files and websites. Also, it is always a good idea to have a backup hard-drive.
6. Professional workspace
In online business as well as in real life, first impressions are everything. When choosing an online platform or communication software to use, you want to make sure it comes across as professional. Branded video calls will help you stand out to potential clients and business connections.
Professionalism isn’t just about appearance but also about action. It’s all very well having a sleek looking site, but you need to be able to meet deadlines. Try to respond to messages in a timely manner and have an out of office response so people know your working hours. Keep on-top of deadlines and update your clients and colleagues if something is taking longer than anticipated. Physical distance from your team can lead to communication issues, this is where a quick video message could come in handy to give more context.
Getting used to working from home can be difficult. It can be hard going from a quick chat in the office to scheduling your meetings online. Getting the right space and tools will make this transition a little bit easier. Working from home can lead to greater productivity and provide more time to spend with the family. Hopefully these tips will help you curate a (nearly) stress free virtual office.