James Moore, director of Bishop’s Stortford-based Genmar IT, writes for the Indie…
I’ve been lucky enough to be able to choose to work from the office or at home throughout the various stages of lockdown. But for the last two weeks I’ve been forced to work from home due to a) my partner and I getting a kitten that needs constant attention, and b) catching Covid and having to isolate.
Genmar has helped hundreds of our customers make the switch to WFH [working from home]. But now that I have more first-hand experience, I thought I would reflect on what I’ve found to make the home-working environment more comfortable, productive and motivated.
Workspace
Having a dedicated workspace when working from home enables you to get into the right frame of mind and, just as importantly, lets you get out of that frame of mind when work is over.
It’s not always possible to have a room dedicated just for office use at home, so if you have to work out of the same room you relax in, try to have a dedicated section of that room for work.
If you’re lucky enough to have space for a desk, make sure you get a chair that gives you the right seating position for computer work.
Sitting at the incorrect height for long periods of time can cause havoc on your back. If you’re limited for space, you can fit twin-slot shelving brackets to the wall to use as a desk. This way it can be unhooked from the wall when you need to reuse the space.
Defined routine
Without steady schedules, the lines between work and personal time can get blurred and be stressful to get right. Follow your normal sleep and work patterns if you can and stay consistent.
Get up at the same time, eat breakfast and get out of your pyjamas. Try scheduling in your ‘commute time’ and spend it exercising, reading or listening to music before logging in.
Most importantly, when your workday stops, stop working. Shut down, stop checking emails and focus on your home life. And at the end of the day, try to get to bed at your usual time.
Your tech
If you’re working from a laptop at home and have a desk, consider buying a docking station. This will enable you to connect all your peripherals to your laptop with one cable, making it much easier to disconnect, and it makes it all look much tidier.
If you have a desk, it makes such a difference to productivity to get a second screen connected. No matter what computer you’re using there will be a way to get a second monitor running – everyone I know that has moved to two screens can never go back.
Make sure your home broadband/wi-fi is performing at its best. There is nothing more irritating than being that one person on a Zoom call who is always cutting out. Think of the position of your router compared to your workspace, consider running a network cable or buying an access point or booster to improve your wi-fi signal.
If your broadband is no good, evaluate your options. Everyone can get fast broadband – it just might cost more if you don’t have fibre currently available.
Please do contact us at Genmar if you have any questions regarding your WFH technology, we would be happy to help.
Stay connected
While working from home has its benefits, you may feel more isolated. But there are lots of ways to stay in touch with those who matter – boosting their mental wellbeing as well as your own.
Make use of technology to stay in communication with the rest of your team on Teams, Slack, WhatsApp etc.
And remember, your colleagues probably feel the same as you. Ask how they’re doing and whether there are ways you can support each other.
Make time to socialise virtually – schedule in a digital coffee break or Friday online get-together.
To find out more about Genmar IT, visit https://genmar.co.uk.
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