Working from home 2020: cool facts and helpful tips
Working from home has become a catchphrase in recent years. We are now in our third week of lockdown in the United Kingdom. If you're in a similar situation, whether in the UK or elsewhere, you may be finding that the novelty of working from home for an extended period of time is wearing off. It's a situation that many of us must come to terms with, and it's a challenge for both seasoned remote workers and newcomers alike.
See the section below titled "What we can do Now" for some excellent working from home tips. Continue reading if you'd like some intriguing background and perspectives.
It's a trend that's slowly gaining traction.
OWLLabs found that 62 percent of full-time employees in the United States have worked from home at least once a month, once a week, three times a week, and so on. This data comes from a 2019 poll.
Similarly, according to the BBC, the number of people working from home in the UK increased from 884,000 in 2008 to 1.54 million in 2019.
Further out, according to Merchant Savvy, 61% of global companies now allow their employees to work remotely. So, in addition to the global situation we find ourselves in by early April 2020, it's fair to say that it's become a growing trend. Next, we'll discuss the latter point.
COVID-19 has obviously changed things
Things have clearly changed gears in the aftermath of the current global coronavirus outbreak. According to the BBC, many Chinese workers started working from home for the first time in February this year, thanks to encouragement from both businesses and the government. On March 26, the official recommendation on the UK's GOV.UK website requested that companies and organizations allow workers to work from home "wherever possible." This has been the case. Many of us, whether UK-based or not, are now experiencing long-term working from home for the first time; this has both benefits and clear drawbacks.
What could the change mean?
There's a case to be made that modern tech companies already have the policies and infrastructure in place to deal with the situation, especially if the majority of the work is digital and requires nothing more than a computer and a wi-fi connection, preferably secured by a strong VPN or virtual private network. However, for smaller businesses or groups, the transition may not be (or hasn't been) as straightforward. If digital communication apps and tools are limited, or if an organization's structure doesn't lend itself to working from home in general, this is likely to be the case.
Education will be a fascinating sector to follow, particularly since universities have already developed online learning platforms, courses, and digitized library materials. But what about secondary and primary schools, or secondary and primary schools, respectively? If key staff rely on a small number of desktop computers rather than individual laptops, or if children and teenagers are forced to use home computers or laptops, they may be more likely to become distracted when in a different, perhaps more relaxed environment than their normal classrooms.
There are some positives
While we are clearly in difficult times, there are some positives to consider. According to a poll conducted by Trello, manufacturers of a visual collaboration platform, 77 percent of people were more effective when working remotely as of March 16. The company also cites a different poll in which 82 percent of people said remote work made them happier. However, it must be stated that the advantages of working remotely are not universally accepted across industries and professions.
What we can do now
There are many unanswered questions, but we do know that many of us may be working from home for the foreseeable future. As a result, we've compiled a list of helpful suggestions to assist you if you're currently working from home. This includes some of the things we've discovered along the way.
1. Think about timings and boundaries
It's very likely that you spend your weekdays working with your spouse or children, or in a rented home or flat with others. This, combined with the fact that you aren't commuting, can make it difficult to keep your work and personal lives separate. Maintaining the same schedule as at work is a good strategy. If you work 9 to 5, this means sticking to those hours and only changing them when absolutely necessary. Setting time limits for projects is also a good idea. You can also plan your time by dividing it into lighter and more intensive tasks. All of this is designed to help you focus on your everyday priorities, reduce stress, and prevent burnout.
2. Go outside and take breaks often
If you don't need to self-isolate right now, getting outside at least once a day is a good idea. Taking a short walk in the fresh air, whether in the morning, afternoon, or evening will help you regain perspective, especially if you're stuck on a difficult or time-consuming project. A dog walk, stepping out into a small garden, or simply opening a window could all be examples of this. According to the BBC, Mathew Knight, the founder of Leapers, an organization that supports freelancers and the self-employed, supports this notion as of March 17th.
When you're at work, you're unlikely to stay in one spot all day, so think the same thing when you're at home. According to Psychology Today, taking breaks not only “refreshes your mental resources,” but doing so on a regular basis also increases “engagement.” You should also try the Pomodoro technique, which entails focusing on a single task for 25 minutes and then taking a short 3-5 minute break. According to KanbanFlow, after four of these 25-minute stints with mini-breaks, you will take a longer break of up to 30 minutes.
3. Get dressed for a working day
Obviously, we're not trying to sound like your parents; we've got better things to do, but when working from home, easy routine habits can go a long way. While staying in your comfy pajamas may seem appealing in the short term, you may find that being overly casual is detrimental to your long-term motivation and productivity. You can actually help set the tone for the rest of your day by wearing clothes that fit your workplace culture or following rules that inspire and focus you personally. What's not to like about that? You must also consider other factors, such as how you will appear to teammates, friends, or clients during video-conferencing calls and other forms of communication.
4. Think about good communication
We think Slack and other team messaging platforms are great because of their speed and simplicity. While written messages are great, Trello points out that tone, body language, and what happened during someone's day are all things that can easily be lost in a chat window. Giving people the benefit of the doubt is probably one of the best things you can do. In their own words, Trello explains this as assuming positive intent and not believing that the person on the other end of your internet connection has a hidden agenda.
Although helpful, if things start to get muddled over an online chat or multiple email chains, it's a good idea to switch to a phone call or, better yet, a group video call. We're all human, so hearing the tone of someone's voice or seeing their reactions over a video chat link makes things a lot easier to understand.
5. Have the right tools to hand
You may have noted that we mentioned some useful digital tools, such as project management platforms, messaging apps, and video conferencing software. If you're not already using them or something similar, we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Have you ever worked from home? Or are you planning to work from home. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of working from home.
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