The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created a huge and serious impact worldwide. Not only it weakened the person’s health it also weakened the business wealth.
Many organizations opted their employees to ‘Work from Home (WFH)’ which is actually a new way of working to most of the employees and organizations.
But in our Dextrasys office, remote working is not new and it’s already been rooted in our culture. Employees always had the facility to choose their work location with ‘work from home’ policy. We, at Dextrasys also initiated this WFH model 10 year back and successfully running it and I am being one of them.
Though remote working is normal nowadays, many people are new to this remote work environment, which physically isolates them from their co-workers and office environment.
With my experience, I have listed here some FAQ’s to guide you on how to work productively at home and be focused without compromising personal life in this critical situation.
1.What are the essential tools you need for a remote work?
If you are planning to work remotely, you need to be ready with the essential tools to work effectively. First among them is a reliable laptop or desktop computer. You can also have headphones to avoid noise from outside and to stay focused in your work. It is always good to have an ergonomic desk and chair to sit and work comfortably. You might also want a comfortable mouse (if you are an expert in touch pad, it is well and good).
2. Is your internet connection good?
One of the most important things to ensure is your internet connection. As a first step, choose the connection that suits best for your home Wi-Fi set-up and do a speed test to check whether it’s fine. Always ensure that your connection is secure when dealing with sensitive and important data on a daily basis.
3.How to create an office environment at home?
A dedicated work space is the foremost important element of working from home. Create a professional zone and set-up things like desk with laptop, files as if you are in your office workspace. By creating a separate professional zone, you will instantly shift into ‘work mode’ whenever you sit down.
4.How to plan your day to be productive?
The first step to effective ‘remote work’ is to make sure to keep up your usual morning routine. Ensure that you wake up at the same time you would usually follow and dress in appropriate clothing as if you are going to work in the office. Before, you start your day, create a to-do list of tasks that you need to complete for the day. You can also set exact time frame for your daily tasks to ensure that you are following strict timings. Make sure to take regular breaks in between working hours.
5.How do you manage your time?
Time management plays a vital role while working remotely, because this is a place where we may face many distractions. First, create a daily calendar to make sure you are dedicating time to both your work and family. While working, turn off all the electronic items such as TV, gaming systems, radio’s etc., in your home. Try to put your phone in silent mode or turn off the notifications for some of the apps, to stay focused in your work. One important factor that is helpful for managing time is to prioritize your list of works. Take regular breaks to keep you relaxed.
6.How to bond with your team as a remote worker?
Being a remote worker, you miss out the opportunities to bond with your team. Since you miss chats informally in the office environment, you can chat via your online groups. Try communicating with your peers individually or in a group often via video or phone calls. Try to communicate daily, spending some time to discuss regarding work or anything that you wanted to share. This may increase your bonding with the team.
7. How do your overcome communication issues with your team?
One of the most significant challenges in a remote work is communication, either with a boss, manager, or other team members. While working from home, you do not have the chance to talk to your colleague during a coffee break or when you need to discuss a task or project in a meeting. The only solution for this issue is to communicate as much as possible with your team. The preferable mode of communication can be either an audio or video call and make sure to send an email by listing all the points that were discussed during the call. This will ensure that all are in the same track.
8. What are the best tools available for communicating with team?
While working remote, you need to consistently provide updates, connect to a meeting and also connect with team members for any clarifications. To make this easy, there are some communication tools available that is convenient for remote teams. You can use Slack / WhatsApp to quickly drop a message to your colleague or even add and customize channels for specific topics to be discussed. You can also try Zoom for voice, video conferencing, real-time chat and sharing your screen. It allows teams to assemble in a more organized and efficient manner. You can also use ‘Skype for Business’ for video calls / meetings.
9. How do you handle video conference calls?
There are few things that you must consider when you are handling a video call. First, find a private place to take the call. Set up your device or camera so that it has a clear view. Make sure your face is well lit. Clean up the space around you or set up a virtual background. Make sure that you are well dressed and in a reasonably good appearance. Always it is good to test your software and internet connection well before your call. Log on to the call little early and check whether everyone can hear and see you. Mute your side, if you are not speaking. Always be attentive to the call.
10. Are you taking regular breaks?
As a remote worker, you may not have co-workers nearby, so make sure that you take regular breaks like, say a walk to your kitchen to drink water every 1 hour or a walk outside to feel the breeze This may avoid overstretching and allows you to pull yourself away from work. Also taking periodic breaks will help you to refresh, relax and be productive for the whole day.
11. Do you have a fixed schedule as, how and when your colleagues can reach you?
When it comes to remote work, have a fixed schedule as, when or at what time you will start your work and when can you have a discussion or meeting. Always make sure that your colleagues are also aware of your working hours. This may be helpful in planning projects and to get in touch with you if there is a need.
12. Do you update about your work progress regularly?
Remote work does not mean that you are alone, make it a practice to share or communicate to your team, the difficulties you face or faced in your projects. This may avoid valuable time and effort. Always communicate your experience in projects that you have handled, so that everyone is aware of what you are working on. People will certainly work on the solutions to overcome those issues.
13. How to build or maintain trust with team?
It is obvious to face trust issues, as team members may not have met each other face-to-face. To overcome this, get to know each person in the team maybe through team meetings. Be responsive so that they could know that you are available when needed. Be clear and transparent always and communicate your points clearly to team.
14. What are the three important things to be successful as a remote worker?
Though there are lots of advantages while working remotely, it does not make an individual an effective member of the team. To overcome this and to be successful, first understand the task given to you and what are the expectations for you. When you work from home, informal conversations does not happen, so always make sure you talk to your team regularly to build good working relationship. Improve your communication with the team to increase productivity.
15. Do you adhere to data protection?
Protecting data is incredibly important for everyone and so you have to follow the procedures that your business puts in place for data protection. To keep data confidential, you should always lock your device if you are going to leave it unattended. Make sure your antivirus software is up to date and it is always good to set password to your device.
16. Are you self-disciplined?
While working remotely, you have more freedom over your environment and schedule, hence self-discipline becomes vital in ensuring to get your work done. You need to set up certain conditions to help yourself stay disciplined and focused. You should be dedicated to your work so that you could meet your project deadlines without someone keeping track of your plan. Also, you need to reduce distractions and maintain positive communication with your office.
17. How to minimize distractions?
Limiting distractions to stay productive while working from home is important. Avoid working in a sound environment (such as a TV), stop using social networks and browsing internet unnecessarily and use personal phone during working hours if needed. Managing these distractions will let you to be productive.
18. What are some common issues with remote work?
There are number of unique challenges that you will face during a remote work. One among them is loneliness, to avoid this you can join or form groups within your organization for regular social connection at work and use video conferencing tools and phone calls to communicate with your team and participate in the virtual meetings held in your company. The next important challenge is overstretching (not set any working hours), this can be avoided by setting proper start and end working hours.
19. Have you set your end time of your day?
While working remote, often you may feel like your work is non-stop and it may be frustrating as well. To avoid this type of situation set a clear end time of your day. You can set appointments at the end of your day like going for a walk, reading a book etc. When your day ends, sign out your slack or email or Skype. Close your laptop or computer and refresh yourself so that you are ready for the next day.
20.How do you maintain your health?
When you are working from home, you spend most of the time sitting in front of your computer. If you don’t move, your muscles and bones become weak and your immune system will become weak which results in causing diseases. Also, take care of your sleeping habits and routines. When your health worsens, your work efficiency also decreases.
To stay fresh and healthy, maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, sleep at least 8 hours a day, and take regular breaks during your work.
Working remotely is a great experience that most of us are experiencing currently. The challenges and solutions listed above can help everyone to work effectively in this current COVID – 19 situation and adapt to this new normal.
To be able to work at home successfully, takes all of the following: motivation, perseverance, work, good habits, no excuses, balance, accountability, and action. – Byron Pulsifer
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