It has become both a blessing and a nightmare for others, that companies are making their employees work in the comfort of their homes. The raging pandemic has forced companies to either shut down, reduce their workforce, or have their employees work virtually. Aside from the occasional take home extra work, most of those employees would be working virtually for the first time. At first, the notion of working alone and unsupervised made them giddy and expectations ran rampant in their minds, weeks to months passed and they now realize the disadvantages of working at home. Here are some effective ways to ensure your working at home is fun:
1. Good Communication
One of the first things corporate employees realize is the problem of communication. Long replies or out right being ignored by colleagues are only some of the problems that are encountered by these employees. To combat this, higher management could set up a conference over employees who are working so that queries can be answered immediately and will also allow them to track if somebody who is supposed to be working isn’t paying attention or even trying to skip work. Colleagues can also set this up with close colleagues to make it more entertaining or more interesting to work. Good communication is key to having a steady and productive working ethic. Some programs that are free are Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts to name a few examples.
2. Exercise
Ever wonder why you always feel tired at work or that you are always low on energy? The reason why you’re always feeling lethargic is because your body isn’t accustomed to having a lot of energy reserves. Always sitting on your desk and doing some paperwork day in and day out is unhealthy and because you spend most of your time revolving around that routine you never get any energy boost from exercising. A 30 – 60 minute workout, jog or walk before work has shown significant boost to improved decision-making, clear thoughts, and reduced stress throughout the day.
3. Good Working Environment
It’s common practice to always have a clean work area, a good chair and desk, even more so if it’s your own house, but sometimes because of how busy we are, we tend to forget about cleaning up. Having a cluttered work area has some psychological impact that distracts you from thinking clearly, it also gives you another reason to think about the clutter rather than focusing on the problem at hand. Before starting work, it is better to clean up first and stay away from distractions such as TVs, mobile phones, etc. Pets also contribute to a good working environment as they give you comfort, though there are times when they throw a fit and start their incessant barking. Make sure that your fur babies are well trained or are well-behaved.
4. Good and Well Behaved Children
Having kids running around and playing inside the house is a nightmare! Imagine having a video conference with higher management then your child enters the room and starts asking for attention or even running inside the room screaming and disrupting the meeting. Having nobody to take care of your children while working at home can be such a chore, but there are ways of having them cooperate and save you time and effort. Communicate with them properly, kids are good listeners and an even better rule breaker. There are kids that are good and understanding and some that still do as they wish, for these kinds it’s better to employ a game-like agreement of not bothering you while working or rewarding them for being good and behave. It’s also a good idea to keep them entertained, busy or tired. Take breaks from working and occasionally check up on them to make sure that they are happy and entertained. Set your workload to do work and play with the children during the day.
5. Music
Good tunes calms the soul and improves focus. There are a lot of people who work while listening to good music, even though it’s subjective, most of them will agree. Having subtle music running in the background can enhance productivity as it also helps you focus on the task at hand and improves your mood. Although there are times that you change your focus in singing along rather than working unconsciously and you lose time by doing so, it still improves your ability to work effectively. There are some who prefer to work in a quiet place because it helps them be in their thoughts as they are working.
The freedom of working at home sometimes makes you feel complacent and less productive. There are even times when it becomes harder than working at the office. Not to mention that some, if not most, are still adjusting to this kind of setup, problems are bound to appear here and there. But , with the right amount of effort, the drive to finish tasks better, and the ability to adapt to a newer and better working environment, it’s easy to see all the benefits this brings us.
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