Over the past couple of weeks, organisations from across the world have shifted into a working from home culture for the foreseeable future as a result of COVID-19. Whilst this culture may be new to thousands of individuals, a lot organisations have been moving towards this practice for a long time.
Marketing Manchester moved to an agile working environment at the beginning of last year and although it comes with vast benefits including business flexibility and an improved work-life balance, working from home isn’t always the ideal scenario for everyone. Some people may prefer to come into the office for the sense of routine and for the human interaction which can be lost when working remotely.
At a time where the safest possible option seems to be to work from home full-time, Marketing Manchester have complied some key tips which you may wish to consider to support you in keeping a positive mindset and staying productive whilst working from home:
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Set a start time and end time for each day. Try to keep within these boundaries in order to keep a clearly differentiate between the work day and leisure time. That said, if you stray slightly, don’t worry – flexibility can also be beneficial.
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Take an uninterrupted lunch hour away from your work. We know how easy it can be to work through your lunch hour in the office however taking a break is even more important at home. Perhaps you could arrange a lunch break with a colleague!
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Keep your routine. Wake up at the time you usually would if you were heading into the office, get up and dressed, ready to start the day with a positive mindset.
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Make plans for the evening. Give yourself something to look forward to whether it’s cooking, some cleaning or even just watching your favourite box set. Something to switch off from the day.
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Pick up the phone instead. Human interaction is good for us. You’d walk up to a colleague in the office to ask them a question, wouldn’t you? Instead of sending an email, pick up the phone, Skype or video call instead.
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Exercise! Take a walk around the garden or find an exercise video online. Exercise does wonders for your mental and physical well-being.
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Look out for each other Try and look outside your immediate team for this one too! Look at the bigger picture and think who might appreciate a ‘hello’ call or message.
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SPEAK UP! If you’re really struggling to adapt to the change, speak up! Don’t suffer in silence. There will always be colleagues to support and listen to you. Working from home doesn’t always work for everyone.
Working from home can provide challenges for some people however it can also open up a world of opportunity for organisations. Now is the time, more than ever, to look out for each other and be supportive.