Waking up to drive to the office every weekday is a norm for most individuals, and being in such an environment helps them achieve specific goals. But what happens when, for some reason, you have to work from home? Will you still be as productive as you are in your office environment?
Working from home has its fair share of challenges, which can affect your productivity. Here are some tips on how you can remain productive while working from home.
1. Know the Expectations
Most employees tend to overlook the expectations of their employer when working from home. In that case, you need to set targets for each worker for them to keep in mind what they must produce. Remote workers are more productive when they realize what you expect from them, and that is why setting targets should be part of your priorities as an employer.
2. Eliminate Distractions
One of the biggest challenges of working from home is managing various distractions. If you are a parent, you need to take care of your children, and sometimes they become an unnecessary distraction when you are working from home. There is also the risk of spending so much time on social media.
The fact that you have some level of freedom while working from home implies that you will have more time to check your social connections, which can distract you from time to time. Individuals will also tend to pick every call they receive when working from home, most probably because there are no stringent rules to address the same in such an environment.
Social media, children, and phone calls are some of the distractions that can lower your productivity while working from home. Some of the solutions for the challenges of working from home include;
- Making your children understand the fact that you need to focus on office responsibilities when working from home. If your children are still young, allow your spouse or nanny to take care of them while you work.
- Avoid checking your social connections in between work while at home to avoid unnecessary distractions.
- Where possible, respond to phone calls in the afternoon or when you are through with the day's office tasks whenever you are working from home.
3. Creating the Right Environment
If focusing while working from home is proving to be a daunting task because you can hardly differentiate between an office and home environment in such a setting, you need to address this weakness. Creating the right environment in a home setting is not an option if you want to remain productive as you work.
One of the ways you can adjust your home workspace accordingly when working in such a setting is by giving it an office look and feel. Also, if you believe that dressing the same way you do when leaving for the office will help you concentrate when working from home, you can adopt the same as a strategic way of improving your productivity.
4. Use Microsoft Teams
Working on specific projects from home can be a challenge if you do not have a way of reaching your colleagues and superiors. It is also a misconception to imagine that particular responsibilities will stall when you are working from home because you can address such issues by investing in technology.
Adopting the right technology is what makes working from home a possibility. Since communication and collaboration are critical aspects to consider when working from home, investing in Microsoft Teams to serve this purpose is advisable. You can collaborate with your colleagues on specific projects while working from home, thanks to Microsoft Teams, which in turn, boosts your productivity.
Consider asking your employer to enable Microsoft Teams to help you work better from home.
5. Set a Schedule
Set alarms and block out your day. The more you work from home the more of a routine it will become. The easier it will be to concentrate and complete tasks. Remaining productive while working from home may be a challenge, but it is not impossible. If you invest in the right technology, you can accomplish more while working from anywhere anytime.
Have you set up remote access to allow your employees to work from home? Let's have a conversation about ways you can stay productive wherever you are. Call 336.804.8449 or visit www.tcsusa.com.
