March 17, 2020
If your organization has implemented a remote working policy in response to COVID-19, we thought we would share some helpful resources about how to be productive at home. While the flexibility to work from home is as often seen as a perk, we understand it can present challenges for those who are used to working onsite or in an office. At WilsonHCG, we have a blended workforce and our employees either work from one of our offices, on client sites or are remote. Here are some tips for employees working remotely:
- Dress the part: When you look good, you feel good, and you’ll always be ready to jump on any last-minute video calls. While we all want to be comfy, we encourage everyone to get dressed and avoid the temptation to stay in PJs!
- Have a designated workspace: If you don’t have an office at home, try and create one in the corner of a quiet room. And try to take your lunch breaks in another room to give yourself a break from the screen.
- Keep your calendar current: Keeping people up to date in regards to your availability, even if it’s to step away to grab lunch or take a walk, is especially important when you are not in someone’s direct line of vision.
- Use real-time collaboration: Stay in touch with the technology platforms available, check out the internal social platforms and try to be on video whenever possible to make that personal connection. Just because you can’t visit each other in the office, doesn’t mean you can collaborate in a meaningful way.
- Know when to step away from your desk: Everyone needs a break from their screens at some point; step away to recharge and return ready to take on the rest of the day.
- Keep wellness top of mind: Take breaks from sitting in front of the screen and get your heart rate up. Do some jumping jacks in between calls or do a workout from YouTube to stay moving.
- Figure out how you focus best: Whether you need music to cancel everything out or complete silence to concentrate, change your environment accordingly. Do what works for you.
- Honor quitting time: Working remotely can make it hard to set boundaries between work and home. When the day is done, close your laptop and walk away. It’s easy to lose track of time, but setting clear boundaries makes it easier to switch off.
