Working from home is quickly becoming one of the most effective ways that companies can expand their talent base, cut costs, and save valuable resources given the current circumstances. However, without the right strategies in place, working from home can quickly result in loss of productivity and profits.
Here is what our team has learned about working from home while continuing to meet and exceed goals:
- Curate your environment – Working in bed might sound fun but can have unintended side effects. Make sure your home work station is well-lit, your office chair supports you well, and be mindful of posture and the ergonomics of your work-from-home station. At the end of each day tidy your work station up. A comfortable, clean space can help improve your mood and focus!
- Alarms and reminders – We can all relate to how easy it is to get distracted when working from home. Our team is finding that setting start, end, and break times helps bring some needed structure. Try asking Siri or Alexa to remind you to stretch and take a break in X minutes. Then, stay focused until your reminder goes off!
- Find a buddy – Managers, make sure your employees are able to check in with you or a co-worker to frequently discuss action items. Then, check in at the end of the day to review. Compare notes and celebrate your wins, a little appreciation goes a long way! Use this time to check in with your buddy to see how they are doing.
- Home-base circle-ups – Being at home can make you more aware of chores or tasks that needs to be done around the house. Check in with your family/roommate/partner to discuss personal plans for the day and any special accommodations that may be needed for working from home like uninterrupted time blocks.
- Activity! – A typical day in-office would include the activity of walking to and from your car, getting lunch, a coffee run, visiting clients, etc. At home it can be easy to become stagnant. Can you make a standing work station? Take a walk around the block? Stretch for 5 minutes? Or set aside some time for a mindfulness exercise, or have lunch outdoors?
- Celebrate wins – Celebrate personal and team wins and watch your momentum build. Make it a point to show appreciation to your team daily and find ways to track and celebrate your own wins.
We hope these tips are helpful and would love to hear what you are doing to improve your home work environment.
If your team is looking for talent or if you are looking for an opportunity in the Accounting and Finance sector in DFW, please let us know – our team is here for you!
A special thank you to Tonya Falzett, Chris Ann Compton, Taylor Teaff, Deborah Bell, Brooke Hunt, and Blair Ray for contributing to this article.