If you weren’t accustomed to working from home before the pandemic, there’s a good chance you are now. After COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, 88% of organizations worldwide either required or encouraged employees to work from home. And while many have gone back to working in-person, millions of others continue to telecommute – and it’s going to stay that way. With so many making the switch to remote work, your home office must be up for the job. And while it may be tempting to post up on your couch for those never-ending online meetings, that isn’t a good long-term solution.
Having a dedicated workspace is essential for your mental health AND productivity. The last thing you want is for your performance to suffer, simply because you don’t have a home office. The good news is that 77% of remote workers say they are actually more productive working from home. The secret? A proper home office setup.
Challenges of Remote Work.
Before we offer tips to help create or improve your home office, let’s look at some of the top challenges of remote work:
- Striking a balance between your personal life (hello, attention-seeking kids and pets!) and work
- Loneliness and isolation
- A new kind of collaboration
- Distractions at home
- Co-working with people in different time zones
- Disconnecting from being “always-on” at the end of the day
- Vacation time
- Solid internet connection
- Making sure you have the right communication tools, such as a VoIP phone
Create a Space You Love.
Distractions are more than just an annoyance; they can completely alter the trajectory of your day. To avoid an unnecessary headache (and talking to from your boss), here are tips to help you improve your home office and make it work for your needs:
- Come up with a schedule and make sure everyone in your household knows when you need to be working.
- Ask your household (whether roommates, your partner, or children) to respect this schedule.
- Play soft, relaxing music to help block out distractions and keep you focused.
- Consider investing in noise-canceling headphones.
- Ensure you have a dedicated workspace, whether you turn a small corner of your living space or a guest room into an office.
- Consider the layout of your new office; make sure it flows and feels good!
- Pay attention to lighting. If possible, work near a window that will bring in some natural light.
- Check your internet connection.
- Invest in tools that will make your job that much easier, like a VoIP phone or cloud-based fax system.
We hope the above tips give you an excellent place to start when it comes to creating a dedicated space at home for working. There are many benefits of working from home, but it’s also essential to consider the challenges and do what you can to minimize roadblocks. To help you stay connected to your team, consider SIPcity’s VoIP or cloud-based fax plans.
