The spread of the Corona Covid 19 virus has indeed had a tremendous impact throughout the world, this has caused a very large crisis in all countries. Because the spread of the Corona Covid 19 virus is very fast and dangerous, and one of the things that can be done to break the chain of spreading this virus is social distancing or keeping a minimum distance of 1 meter, making the government make an idea for any employee to start working from home.
The idea of working from home has been implemented since a few weeks ago, but there are also many offices and other business establishments that have not followed this advice thoroughly. If you work as an employee and your office is starting to apply to work from home, then here I will give you the 10 best tips for working from home in a comfortable and productive manner.
So, even though working from home is a dream of many people, it can be something that gets a lot of trouble and requires a lot of adjustments. Please refer to the tips for working from home below so that you can work comfortably and equally productively from a distance.
1. Ask What You Need
If you are asked to work from home, especially if it is a temporary relocation, check with your supervisor for the equipment you will need while working at home. Even if you don’t get all of your work equipment, don’t take it lightly, you have to ask questions and because it’s your boss’s responsibility, your boss should at least be responsible for meeting your needs. Some things to ask about your needs are:
- Computer
- Web camera
- Wireless Mouse / Keyboard
- USB
- All required Software / Applications
- Printer (if necessary)
It is better if you ask and ask for whatever you think you will need when doing work while at home in order to remain effective, efficient and of course still productive.
2. Create a comfortable workspace
Work space is very important when you are working from home. You need to provide a dedicated space that is perfectly comfortable to work in, clean it and tidy up any computers, files, and supplies you need to work comfortably, even when you are not working.
Create a quiet workspace, a room separate from the family room and television. Also, make sure there are plenty of power outlets in your area. Make the workplace in your home the quietest and most private place in your home so that when you work you are separated from as many distractions as possible so you can focus on work and stay productive.
3. Complete Your Workspace
If you are working from home, and it looks like this is going to take a long time maybe several weeks or even months. You should equip your workspace properly so that it is as comfortable and comfortable as when you are at the office. Please feel free to provide some of the following equipment:
- Nice seats. Yes, this is very important for comfort and so as not to make you sick and feel at home sitting for hours at the computer.
- A computer that can run your application / software, if the office doesn’t provide it. A computer with good specs is a good option if necessary.
- Headphones are essential and if you are required to make conference calls, a headset is absolutely essential.
If you already have the above equipment, then working from home can be fun, comfortable and still productive.
4. Ensure Your Internet & Wi-Fi Meets Your Needs
All internet and Wi-Fi settings are not created equal. The bandwidth you have at home may be slower than what you are used to in the office. Test your internet speed, then test streaming, test conference calls, and try uploading and downloading files at the location you plan to use for your headquarters.
If you need a faster speed, try tweaking some settings, and if that doesn’t work, contact your internet service provider or ISP to request a temporary increase in internet speed while you work from home.
Also, ensure the office setup while you are in an area with strong Wi-Fi coverage. If necessary, consider installing a mesh network to increase wireless coverage.
Make sure to test internet speed You are currently using a VPN (virtual private network) because you may be required to use one VPN by your boss.
5. Setting Expectations for Yourself and Others
Working from home may mean there is a delay in your response time. Depending on your job, you may not have access to all of the same things you do in the office so it may take longer to connect with people or to find the information you need. Communicate potential delays with your co-workers, clients, and bosses.
Set expectations for yourself and for the people who share the same space as you. That includes setting boundaries for your family to guide your working hours.
6. Make a Schedule and Manage Your Time Well
Working from home is not easy, because there are so many distractions and things that will make you lose focus and waste time on unnecessary things. Because working from home without your boss and co-workers, you can become very relaxed and lazy.
To avoid feeling lazy and the distraction that might occur, make sure to always make a schedule of work that must be completed every day. This will automatically require you to work productively and know what jobs you have to do.
Write a chore down schedule on a chalkboard or large paper, and post it on the wall right in front of you so you can always read and remember it.
7. Video Conference Call
Working from home might mean that your meeting will be moved online. If you are using video conferencing calling software such as Zoom or GoToMeeting, there are a number of things that you should pay attention to during a video conference call.
- Turn on your camera: Unless it’s a meeting where all you have to do is listen, use the camera as a way of maintaining a professional image and a sense of physical presence.
- Ensure that your microphone is safe from voices behind you that might interfere with a video conference call. Configure your video conferencing software to mute by default when it starts.
- Make sure that the lighting in your room is good so that other people can see your face when they talk to you during a conference call.
- Make sure your background is clean and so that your colleagues don’t see all the clutter behind you.
- Make sure to wear neat and polite clothes so that other people still see you as serious and not playful at work. Because you need to remember, even though you work at home but you still work under the supervision of your boss. So make sure you are always ready to appear neat and polite when your boss wants to do a video conference.
8. Avoid Bad Habits of Working from Home
You shouldn’t do anything that is prohibited at work at home. Make sure you don’t spend your time playing social media, YouTube and streaming shows on your computer. Besides this will make you unproductive and hinder your work, it can also become a bad habit and lasts every day as long as you work from home. You can do that unless it’s part of your job.
9. Stay Connected with Your Coworkers
How many times a day do you take breaks to connect with your colleagues, share information, or just step away from your desk? If you work from home, that is much more difficult to do, but no less important. Use an app like Slack –– a messaging system for teams –– to stay in touch with the people you work with.
Collaboration is also important. You may rely on the strengths of your peers all the time when you are at work. Don’t let working from home stop that. Use collaboration tools, if necessary, but connect with people who can help you do your job better.
Body language is an important and overlooked aspect of communication, especially in the workplace. One of the most effective stand-ins for body language when working remotely is the much-loved emoji! Use them often, and appropriately, and you’ll pass important non-verbal cues to your co-workers.
10. Be Flexible
Working from home is mostly about flexibility. You must be able to work in the midst of distractions that you don’t find in your office. You should communicate with your household members about your situation, telling them when to focus and not be disturbed and when they can ask you for help.
Even though working from home is not as easy and beautiful as it seems, you should keep trying these new habits as best you can so that you are comfortable working from home and staying productive.
Read: MyJio – Application To Check Symptoms of Corona Virus (Covid 19)
We all hope that this corona virus outbreak will end soon and all activities will return to normal as before. Let’s pray and try to keep our distance, work from home and always keep clean. Because that’s all we can do so that the Covid 19 virus doesn’t spread and is completely gone. We wish you all good health and happy working from home. Good luck 🙂
