Since the arrival of Coronavirus and the global pandemic, the growth of home and remote working has been exponential. As firms were forced to look for alternative ways to allow staff to continue doing their jobs, there has been a seismic shift in where (and how) firms operate, to the point that the idea of home working has now become the norm in many roles.
However, while working from home has undoubtedly brought tremendous advantages to both firms and individuals, there are still a few things you should consider before going the route of working outside the confines of the traditional office and structured Monday to Friday, 9-5.
Find a Quiet Space
Life these days can be hectic – particularly family life – so try to find a space that you can use wholly for work, rather than one that’s shared with your nearest and dearest. While no one will resent the occasional interruption from kids or other family members, these moments are unlikely to go down well if you’re in the middle of a crucial conference call. Plus, distractions will only end up slowing your work rate.
Spend Money on the Right Equipment
When you work in an office, the onus lies with your employer to buy you the right equipment. The same may not equally apply in a home-working environment, but it’s still important you have the right tools to allow you to do your job. Desktop tower workstations, like those offered by lenovo.com, will help increase your productivity while also lending a touch of class to your remote-working setup. You should also think about buying the right, most comfortable office furniture including a desk, chair, and any other associated equipment you need.
Invest in the Right Video Conferencing Software
If you’re working from home, the chances are pretty high that you’re going to spend a lot of time onvideo conference calls to stay in touch with colleagues. Often, the choice of software you use will be dictated by your firm but, if not, look at buying into a quality service that’s reliable and widely used. Depending on where your home office is located, it might also be an idea to choose a system that has changeable backgrounds to avoid those all-too-embarrassing messy backdrops.
Look at Cloud-Based Services
Your company may already use cloud-based backup or networking services but, even so, it’s a good idea to have your own system in place just in case. Services like Google Drive or Dropbox can be set to automatically copy everything you’re working on – in real-time – so that, should the absolute worst happen and you suffer a computer failure (or fall victim to hacking), you’ll have a backup copy to fall back on.
Think About Lighting
Most modern workplaces are adequately lit but the same might not apply when it comes to your home office. Working in a poorly-lit environment can put undue strain on your eyes and cause sight problems further down the line. Remember to keep your workplace well-lit.
