How to work from home: guidelines and tips

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How to work from home effectively

  The current outbreak of Coronavirus has forced many organisations and companies to recommend their employees to work from home. For many people, working remotely is a new experience with a unique set of  challenges. However, this change has prompted many industry experts to view remote working as a more trusted and tried and true work approach. So once COVID-19 has been defeated the option to work from home for longer periods of time may remain in place for the foreseeable future.  This course has been designed to provide you with some best practices to help you with your transition into working remotely and new habits for sustained remote work.   

Introduction

Equipment and workspace

Many jobs today require the use of hardware or physical equipment. It is essential that you attempt to accurately replicate the equipment you have in your work place to your home environment. The purpose of this is to sustain good ergonomics and not to form habits which can result in poor productivity or long term physical damage. Standard equipment would include: A fitting chair A work desk Ergonomic or external mouse External keyboard (if necessary) While it might not be possible to acquire all the necessary equipment to match your workplace you should avoid picking up bad habits.  For example, slumping over a desk that's too small to see your computer screen will result in aches and pains to your back over time. So do what you can to make up for the defect. Stack books under your computer to bring the monitor in line with your eyes.  This is one example, but the point is to ensure a comfortable and sustainable physical work environment for prolonged remote work.  If there is some piece of equipment that is crucial to your job or your health, do not hesitate to contact your employer and work through a solution. Remember, your employer always wants to see you productive! 

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Duties and responsibilities

Employee responsibilities If you are working from home, you have a responsibility to maintain your mental and physical well being to the best of your ability to ensure you remain productive. This is good for you, and your employer. While working from home, you should: Communicate with your manager and meet their required instructions. Make additional efforts to safeguard work equipment and report defects as soon as possible. Maintain workplace policies for sick or injury leave. Inform your manager. Communicate regularly with your employer and supervisors about the progress of your tasks. Identify the work to be done at home with your employer Identify the equipment you need to set up a safe workspace at home and agree this with your employer Identify a suitable environment within your home for home working. Try to avoid household distractions. Agree plans and contacts to be used in the event of an emergency. Ensure you have a suitable workspace and understand and implement guidelines for a correct ergonomic setup for your work. Follow these simple instructions to ensure your continued work performance and maintain a relationship of trust with your employer or manager, who themselves may be new to the challenge of managing a remote team.

Employer duties The responsibility of an employer is take care of both themselves as well as ensure the well being of employees who work for them. Managing and conducting all work activities to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare of employees Providing safe and practical work that is planned and organised, and fits your restriction to work from home. Providing equipment including personal protective equipment or computer hardware, where necessary Giving information, instruction, training and supervision about safety and health to employees If employees have a disability, are young workers or are pregnant, employers need to ensure that the tasks and working conditions do not adversely affect their health. Your employer should check with you to ensure: You are aware of any specific risks when working from home and attempt to address issues through open dialogue. You have suitable equipment to do the work. For example, your employer should make sure that the applications and systems you need are installed on your computer. There is an open means of contact. 

Tips and guidelines

Tip #1: Set up a routine Get up early in the morning, have breakfast and get dressed. Wear comfortable clothes, as you will spend long hours sitting. These small but crucial tips will help set you up for the day and give you the feeling that you are preparing for a normal day in the office. Set yourself working hours. Create a daily routine and follow it to the letter.This is an example of successful daily routine for an adult: - Get up at a reasonable hour (experts say most work is done before lunch!) - Dress up and have a good breakfast - Work for 3h - Take a 30 minute break - Work for another 2h - Take a 1h lunch break. Eat something light then take a rest for a while. - Work for 2h more - Do some physical exercise to mark the end of your daily routine. Taking breaks every 2-3 hours can be very beneficial to our physical health and concentration. Stretch every so often to ???? It is also important to mark the beginning and end of our day with a ritual. It can be a physical exercise routine or any other activity that you like.

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Tips and guidelines

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 Tip # 2: Create a timetable Creating a structured timetable is the key to success. Decide what tasks you will be working on every day, the time that you will be doing each task and how much time you will allocate to each of them. Add to your timetable any meetings planned by your managers or calls you have decided to set up with your coworkers. This way you will have a fair idea of how much real time you have left to dedicate to other tasks or projects. GoConqr calendar tool allows you to create a tailored timetable to meet all your needs. Why not try it out!

Tips and guidelines

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Tips #3: Designate a working area & use the right equipment Designate a space for work. This will help you focus and associate a space with work and the rest of the house with leisure. It is important that this area is a well-lit, quiet and comfortable space and it must be free from distractions such as television, children, etc. Having the right equipment and setup to work form home will make all the difference.  Sit on a proper table or desk. Elevate your laptop or computer to be in line with your eyes. If you are working on a laptop, get an additional keyboard and mouse. Use a comfortable chair with a backrest.  Make sure you have reliable access to the internet and secure remote access to the company’s internal network and email. Get a work phone if you need to deal with phone calls.

Tips and guidelines

Tip # 4: Take breaks Taking breaks during work hours is very important to boost productivity. Getting tired will cause you to lose motivation and concentration and ultimately be less productive. Take breaks of 20-30 minutes every 2-3 hours of work. Take a longer lunch break of at least 1 hour. Eat with your family, friends or flatmates and have a nice chat with them. After eating, relax while you start to digest the food. After a good break, spend a couple more hours working. This is the final stretch of your daily routine. Going back to work after lunch requires more energy than in the morning. When you create your calendar assign less difficult tasks for the after-lunch hours.

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Tips and guidelines

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Tip #5: Avoid distractions Avoiding distractions is key to staying focused during your work hours. Put your phone away and don't look at your messages or social media while you are working. You can also set rules with your family members so they don't interrupt you at certain times, especially if you have young children.

Tips and guidelines

Tip # 6: Take part & communicate Working in a team always makes the job easier. Connect with your coworkers, ask for help, participate in group calls and meetings. Ask your questions and help answer your coworkers' questions. Communicate with your employer or supervisor daily to make sure you are on the right track and get praise for work well done. Equally, if you are not able to finish a task or are having trouble with a task, do let them know and ask for support from them.

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Tips and guidelines

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Tip #7: Manage your time wisely Working from home means not having to go to the office. This is possibly saving you 1h or 30 min of commute both in the morning and in the afternoon. Take advantage of the extra time and do something useful with it! Why not spend it preparing a good breakfast that will give you energy for the rest of the morning? Or doing some physical exercise? Yoga? Sunbathing in the balcony? Whatever it is, don't waste your time!

Tips and guidelines

Tip #8: Stay positive A Smile and a positive attitude can take you very far. Stay motivated and have a good attitude. It is much easier to cope with an unpleasant situation if we stay positive and do not make a mountain of a molehill. Other people will also perceive your energy and rub off on it.

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Ergonomics for the home

How should you sit at your desk? If you work with computers, you need to ensure the following: Go through the following checklist, and ensure you are complying so as not to cause injury.  Your eyes should be level with the top of your computer monitor. Your shoulders should be relaxed and low, not high and hunched up. You should feel like you’re not lifting your shoulders. Your lower arms should be parallel to the floor. They should rest on a support, rather than being held up. You shouldn’t be reaching too far for your keyboard and mouse. You should be able to control them easily with arms bent at the elbow. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Your upper back should be straight. Your lower back has a natural curve that should be supported by your chair. You shouldn’t slouch in your chair. Your hips should be as close to the back of the chair as possible. Your upper legs should be at a 90° angle from your body. If you’re short, this may mean that you need a footrest. If you’re particularly tall, you’ll need a higher chair (and may also require a higher desk). You should be sitting up straight and your screen should be a full arm’s length away from you. You shouldn’t be leaning to one side. It can be tempting to rest on one arm, but this causes your spine to curve.

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Sources and references

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment_rights_and_conditions/health_and_safety/working_at_home.html