Across the globe, many governments have asked citizens to remain home and practice social distancing measures. This has forced many businesses to rapidly shift to a remote work environment that allows employees to work from home. For a lot of people, working from home is an unfamiliar territory with new challenges to overcome.
Below, we’ll share 8 tips that will help you successfully settle into your new world of working from home.
Having your own workspace that is quiet and free from distractions is an essential key to having a productive workday at home. While a separate room in your home used as an office is ideal, many people just do not have this extra space available, which is fine. Having a dedicated workspace is less about the actual physical space and more about how it mentally prepares you to work.
Whether it is your kitchen table, a desk in your bedroom, or outside on your balcony, create a space that you associate with work. Keep this space free of clutter, except for your work devices and accessories. While it may seem novel to work in bed, this is better avoided. Becoming too comfortable can hinder productivity.
It can be easy to fall out of your routine when working from home. Try to follow a similar schedule to what your days in the office were like, or if this isn’t possible, create a new one. Try organizing tasks based on what you need to accomplish each week and dedicate certain timeframes for meetings. Sticking to your schedule helps maintain a sense of normalcy and will boost your productivity.
Even if you are just two feet away from your coffee maker, it is important to keep a break schedule as well. Step away from your workspace for a few minutes to recharge. Whether you go for a short walk, have a healthy snack, or just enjoy a cup of coffee, having a break to recharge is important.
You can do it in your pajamas. Getting dressed and ready for work helps prepare you mentally to be productive. If you stay in your pajamas, it’s likely that you won’t feel as prepared to work and will be less focused.
Working from home can mean working around their children, which can be challenging. Many parents try to set boundaries and feel stressed when these don’t work, or they have interruptions. The key is to not get caught up in setting boundaries and understand that many others are facing similar pressures.
Communication is always key in a work environment, but now with entire organizations working remotely, it is essential. Make it a point to touch base in ways other than just email or instant messenger. Schedule daily phone calls or even video calls to stay connected with your team and keep a sense of physical contact. Video calls are especially helpful as we read people’s body language and non-verbal cues when they communicate, which is lost via email. Picking up on emotional nuances can be important and seeing how someone is reacting to your ideas can help facilitate conversation.
As the world copes with navigating through a global pandemic, be respectful and kind. We are all facing different challenges and difficulties and it’s important to be conscious of what others are going through. Many people are feeling lonely, isolated, and are lacking emotional support. Use empathy and compassion with your co-workers and be sure to let people know that they matter.
Because employees are having to work from home, personal devices are often being used to access corporate data. This can present a number of cybersecurity concerns, especially attacks from hackers and data breaches. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of this disruption and tense emotions to try and access sensitive information. It is much easier to hack into a personal device not protected by a business’s security services than it is bypassing a corporate firewall.
Use multi-factor authentication to log in to your devices and never access sensitive company data via unsecured WIFI. Be incredibly skeptical of any emails that request you to click on a link, download a file, or share sensitive information. It is likely that these are social engineering tactics trying to get you to divulge personal information or download malware.
If your business is concerned about remaining secure while employees are working from home, contact MBC. Our team of cybersecurity experts can provide complete endpoint protection for your business as well as deliver effective security awareness training. To learn more, get a free assessment today.
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