Working from home, ...But how?
Many people are in the position of having to work home because of the COVID-19 outbreak. We at CoreMotif are in two countries so we have an experience with long-distance organizing
Do you need help with organizing web-meetings, or setting up a conference or a meeting with the help of technology? Let us know!
Below there are six things that can help you stay effective and be successful at working from home.
Set the Rules
If the team makes the time to organize, decide on what rules apply when working from home we are less likely to have problems. By communicating during the workday the long distance is also less likely to affect the morale
Pro Tip:
Create rules about when you’re at work, how meetings are organized, communication and information flow and decide on what tools you will use during this period so the team is united.
A daily morning meeting to sync and get info about status of projects and people is something developers are used to but is a great tool for anyone working remotely.
Show up for Work
Homelife is an easy pit to fall into when working from home. The kids call and you know there’s a pile of laundry in the living room. To offset this it’s important to set up a space that’s intended for work when working from home and try to organize the day like it’s a normal day at the office.
Pro Tip:
Don’t sit down at the kitchen counter in your pyjamas and start working. Wake up, get dressed and show up at your home office. Have regular brakes and lunch and leave work when the day is over.
If your day is as similar to what you’re used to as possible you are more likely to get more done!
Use Technology
There are a lot of tools to help us make the days we work from home as normal as possible. We are fortunate enough to live at a time where we have apps and programs for almost everything and they can help us with teamwork, project management and so many other things!
Pro Tip:
Chat-apps like Slack or Workspace help us staying in touch with our colleagues and prevent isolation.
Project Management tools like Jira or Asana make sure teams are synced when the communication channels are a little longer than the distance between the chairs at the office.
Mural is a great tool for workshops where people usually gather around a whiteboard.
Show up for Meetings
Meetings are a big part of many people’s workday and when working remotely we can’t show up in the same way. One of the biggest pits people fall into is sitting and listening to big meetings instead of actively participating because the meeting takes place round a table at the office. Tools like Zoom, Skype for Business, Teams or Slack can all help.
Pro Tip:
By turning on the video during a meeting it’s easier to take active part in the meeting. Other people can see you and you them. In a perfect world everyone calls in from their own computer with their own camera if one person can’t show up. That way everybody sits at the same “table” and has the same experience.
Create the Right Atmosphere
Create the atmosphere you thrive in! Lighting, sound, smell or something else? Think about what helps you keep your energy up
Pro Tip:
Turn on the TV! It probably sounds counter intuitive, but for us that are used to open workspaces and thrive in surroundings that buzz with life it can be overwhelming to sit in the silence alone at home. To offset this, it can be good to turn on the TV in the next room and create the feeling that people are just around the corner.
Take Advantage of the Benefits
Remember, this too shall pass. Before we know life will be normal again and COVID talk will be a distant memory. Working from home is not just a hazzle, the workday gets shorter because you don’t have to commute, and you can use your brakes however you like!
Pro Tip:
Use your breaks on spending time with your kids, bake a bread, do laundry or do something that would otherwise wait until you get home from work. This is a privilege that you have during this period. Take advantage of it and enjoy working from home!