So suddenly we can all work from home! It’s new and most people like the idea but struggle with the reality. The daily interactions that we take for granted working in an office are suddenly no longer there, no chats over coffee or a joke at your desks. There is no enforced structure of being in the office at 09:00 and going home at 17:30 and no breaks in the day through interruptions at your desk. If people are going to call or message they think first. Staff don’t know what is going on, you don’t just hear things! And, it’s a big change for many managers who can’t supervise directly and so have to trust their staff.
I don’t consider myself an expert, but I do have some practical advice
What follows is my view based on what I have experienced having worked from home and run remote teams for years, and what I have learnt.
When we setup ActionCOACH for Kettering, Corby, Market Harborough and Oakham we made two key decisions which are benefitting us now;
- We will have an office as a base for the business, somewhere we can meet clients, Angela in particular likes to go to work! Some where we can talk to others, water cooler conversations as the Americans say. It has worked better than expected. We are based at the King Centre in Oakham where there are lots of other people to talk to, Suzie’s Cafe for coffee and cake and a nice social area.
- We are setup so we can work from anywhere allowing us to travel (which was one of our key goals) and work from home (which I in particular like to do). This is currently serving us well, although we have had to convert the spare room to a second study (mind you, no one is coming to stay with us for the foreseeable future!).
The Technology is just an enabler
My career has been in IT and I see the technology as simply an enabler. It allows us to work anywhere using computers connected by broadband to the cloud, meaning all your systems are available. Interestingly this is particularly true for a smaller business who will almost exclusively take IT as a service, such as Office 365, Xero or QuickBooks for accounting and HubSpot or Dynamics for CRM. The bigger change may be using phone or video conferencing services such as Zoom or Teams, on your mobile phone or setting up soft phone systems like Gamma Horizon to talk and meet with clients, suppliers and your own team.
It’s worth remembering you don’t have to always do a video conference, voice is fine most of the time with the added advantage you don’t’ have to worry about the image you present. This is the voice of experience, I’ve been caught out twice recently – unshaven and in my slopping around the house / dog walking gear! Whether you are using voice or video conferencing, sit up and be attentive as you would if your were all in the same room to get your mind-set in the right place!
Once you have sorted out the technology to work remotely it ceases to be the main constraint. I suspect that with many companies having now been forced to set up solutions for remote working due to COVID-19 they will not be returning to a fully office-based organisation, which will change the way we work for ever.
Look after yourself, you will not perform at your best if you don’t look after your own welfare
When I work from home it is sooooo easy to start work at 07:00 and still be at my desk at 19:00 at night, having spent the day in the same room staring at a screen. There is always that call, that problem to solve! I really don’t believe this is healthy for anybody!
Take a break
Years ago I figured out that I needed to take breaks! Short breaks for tea or to do a domestic chore, hoovering the landing or putting the washing in (when you find you are cleaning the whole house that is avoidance so think 3 to 5 mins).
I also try and make sure I have a longer break during the day for lunch where I will read a book or magazine, go for a walk, run or cycle. Inevitably that big problem will seem much easier when I return. I like to let my brain run free, it eventually get’s back to the current problem and I can work through my current frustration, anger or embarrassment. Trust that an answer will appear, and it is usually very simple!
And it is OK to go and spend time with the kids, you may have no choice at the moment so plan it as part of your day.
Be comfy
If you will be spending 8 hours a day at your desk, make sure you have setup a comfy work area. When we went into lock-down I know a number of people who spent the first few hours sorting out their work area! Make sure you have a good chair and a desk at the right height
Talk to people……
Don’t forget we are sociable creatures! Take time to talk to other people, start by calling up your colleagues for a chat.
Many of us are regular attendees of network meetings during our working week and there are loads of on-line networks that have started up in the last few days;
- Simon Cox is hosting a virtual Kettering Business Network
- Paul Green is hosting webinars on topics of interest during the crisis through the Business Network
- Felicity Francis is taking Talk Networking online
Also, I have a social chat at the start of conference calls while waiting for other attendees to join. It’s good to realise I’m not the only one in this and get suggestions for what to do next.
Keep a positive mind-set
It’s very easy for us to fall into a downward spiral of despair as we watch our business slow, the constant feed of bad news though the media and being trapped in the house with our loved ones!
Take a few moments during the day to make a list of all the things that sap your energy and a second list of all the things that lift your mood and invigorate you.
Then use the lists to help structure your day. You probably can’t avoid the energy sapping activity, but you can at least make sure you intersperse them into the more invigorating activity.
Be selective about what you listen too
Don’t forget society loves a disaster and for that reason so too does the news, it can feel like there is nothing good in the world! But look at all the stories of people helping neighbours and other in the community, queuing 2 meters apart at the supermarket and the absolutely amazing job the staff in our health service are doing. There is far more good out there than bad!
So be selective about where you get your news from, make sure it is a reliable source (my preference is the BBC but even they can be a bit sensationalist) and avoid gossip and un-collaborated news (which is often nothing more than gossip!)
There is so much more to think about…..
I’ll write a second blog in a couple of days time on your time management while working from home (it is a different dynamic than being in the office with the domestic demands of children and partners in a restricted space) and how management and leadership needs to change in reaction to remote working.
