15 working from home tips for productivity and wellbeing

The key to avoiding loneliness and isolation among remote teams is to make sure that regular meetings and social events are scheduled with colleagues outside of work. Arrangements for reporting to line managers should be set up and agreed in advance of the approval of any remote-working arrangement. Employees who work from home should be contactable by phone/Microsoft Teams within (but only within) the agreed working hours or at other agreed times. You will need to check-in with your direct reports on a regular basis – so you may need a deputy or deputies if you have responsibility for a large team. Forward-thinking companies have taken additional steps to advance the way their employees work. The company’s flexible working hours policy has also helped improve employee mental health.

Childminders must undertake a training course approved by their local authority and are required to register with OFSTED. You will also need a DBS check, first aid certificate and relevant insurance. This involves listening to audio files and typing them out into a written document. For entry-level jobs, little experience is needed beyond strong typing skills and attention to detail.

How to tackle delivery issues as a small business owner

To avoid this, make sure that your team is super clear on their schedule and what is expected of them, and encourage them to allocate specific times for specific jobs and tasks. For some people, it’s important to have a designated workspace that https://remotemode.net/blog/12-tips-for-succeeding-in-working-remotely/ they can leave once the workday is over, which can help them to ‘log off’ for the day. Sometimes, it can be difficult for managers of remote workers to be completely aware of where employees are up to with a task and elevate their productivity.

There is no getting away from the fact that if you want to find a work-from-home job, or any job for that matter, you will need to reach out and make it known that you are seeking fresh employment opportunities. The tech industry is ever-expanding and the best web developers can command high fees for their services, so there is definite scope for building a successful career from home. People who are fluent in more than one language can find themselves in demand as translators for public or private sector organisations.

The Rise of Remote Working

Due to fewer interruptions, which would normally occur in an office environment. By contrast, working from home allows for a quieter environment that can facilitate more focused work. You may also find that some employees may wish to increase their paid contractual hours as they save time that was previously spent commuting to and from the workplace. Home working can help retain employees as the flexibility of home working can help them meet childcare needs, reduce their commute and enable them to fit their work around their personal life.

• Where regular and frequent working from home is a requirement of a job it is reasonable that the employer should provide and maintain equipment.
• Some remote positions require employees to have specific equipment like headsets, webcams or certain software so they’re able to perform essential tasks.
• Staff are also able to fit in household chores around their working day giving them more free time in the evenings eg loading or unloading the dishwasher or preparing dinner on their lunchbreak.
• A quarter of the IT decision makers we asked said that staff downloading unsanctioned IT software for remote working had been a challenge.
• Without banter to lighten a heavy day or a desk neighbour to help bounce ideas off of, working from home can feel stifling when it’s just you on the project.
• They may be responsible for selecting the location, booking transport and managing other elements such as entertainment and catering.

Including risk assessments, mental and physical health, and dealing with problems. An employee might work from home all the time, or as part of a hybrid working arrangement. It can be all too tempting to start a little later, or finish whenever you choose, but it’s a temptation you should avoid at all costs.

Genuine work from home jobs that anyone can do

But the overnight shift to home working meant many employers were caught off guard – and, in an attempt to continue business as usual activity, staff resorted (or were asked) to using their own devices for work. In our survey, almost half of respondents (48%) said staff had taken IT equipment home, making it the number one challenge of the people we asked. And 56% agreed that staff using their own devices for work has made them more vulnerable to a security breach. Not only can using own devices leave networks exposed to malicious threats, it also causes inconsistencies in how individuals and teams work, and can hinder productivity. To avoid this, employers should provide remote workers with all the equipment and software they need to work from home, as if they were working in the office.

In 2021 we added a brand new show to The Business Show, Working From Home Live, helping thousands of business owners and their employees adapt to the future of home working, running directly alongside The Business Show. A quarter of the IT decision makers we asked said that staff downloading unsanctioned IT software for remote working had been a challenge. Using unsanctioned IT can not only compromise security, but leads to inconsistent ways of working between teams and individuals. Where regular and frequent working from home is a requirement of a job it is reasonable that the employer should provide and maintain equipment. When the member of staff is working from home at their own request they may provide at least some of their own equipment if it is suitable.

Looking after your employee(s) remotely

When your office is in the next room, you’ll be tempted to dip in and out of work throughout your evening. Get your monthly dose of workplace insights, productivity hacks and business leadership ideas – delivered straight to your inbox. There are currently millions of articles floating around about how to work from home effectively. While it can be a welcome break from your daily commute, working from home has its downsides, such as loneliness, cabin fever and productivity slumps.

As the end of the day approaches, review and update your to-do list, check tomorrow’s schedule and try to finish on a positive note, so you feel more relaxed and prepared for the next day. Before switching off, say goodbye to your colleagues, so they know that you’re leaving, and tidy your workspace, ensuring that all equipment is packed away. This last suggestion is particularly https://remotemode.net/ important if you don’t have a dedicated room to work in, as it will help your house to become a home again. 20% of remote workers in the State of Remote Work 2020 report said communication and collaboration was their biggest challenge. Because of this, communication and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams have seen a huge increase in deployment since lockdown was introduced.

With the homeworking trend set to continue, it’s more important than ever before to stay productive and manage your wellbeing effectively. To help you achieve this, we have prepared 15 top-tips for feeling good and excelling at work, while working from home. At the end of 2020, we commissioned a survey of more than 200 IT decision makers to find out what impact remote working has had on the way they manage their IT.

• Microsoft Endpoint Manager is a great solution for securing and managing user devices remotely.
• Plan out what you’ll do in advance and then set reminders or create events in your online calendar.
• If your employees are located across the world in different time zones or simply work different shifts, it’s important to have clear and concise communication.
• In doing so, you will also get a break from your work and give yourself a chance to recharge.