Top Tips for Working from Home

Working from home for many people is not the norm, but in this current situation we are far away from normality. Do bear in mind, your job title has somewhat changed since you last checked. But remember, at some point, our country will return to normal and although sometimes it may not feel like it, you may even miss this.

As an Area Sales Manager for OrCam UK, my role requires me to work from home full time and I would like to share a few tips with you that have helped me to do this effectively. 

1. Comfortable office

It is important to have a space to call your office. Somewhere you can focus and attend those important meetings. Right now, I appreciate you may be sharing this space with your family. It might be more like “kitchen table turned office”, “boardroom” and “classroom” but the most important thing is that it is comfortable for you. Surround this space with items you need for your working day to reduce having distractions and having to leave your workspace frequently. 

In these difficult times, it is important to keep a healthy work and home life balance. Set yourself boundaries to ensure you switch off from work and in this case, ensure your family dining table is now a space to enjoy with exactly that, your family. 

1. The right environment

Whether you prefer to start your day early or work late into the evening, ensure you organise your schedule to work around you. In an office environment, there are many different noises, conversations and things happening around you. Each one of these can distract someone from working but at home, it can be near to silence. If you are used to a busy office, try putting some music on in the background to replicate your usual working environment. Listening to the radio can also help. But if you’re anything like me, right now, I don’t want to listen to the news 4 times per day. Ensure you stick to your set working hours. Having your laptop so close at every second of every day can be tricky to stay away from but it is important to give your brain a rest and recharge. Those emails can wait until tomorrow. 

1. Communication is key

In a typical week, I would spend 2/3 days working from home and the rest of time out and about visiting clients. This has all changed for the time being and this is something I am still getting used to. One of the most important things to remember is communication is key to making this whole thing work. I love talking, but there is only so much my partner can take. Therefore, it is important to arrange frequent meetings with your colleagues & customers. Having a virtual brew actually works well and on the plus side, you only need to make one. This can be a lonely time for everyone, and we can change that.

In fact, I would go as far as to say, as a company, the OrCam UK team have never spoken as much as we do currently and it’s great. However, do not feel that every time you talk it needs to be about work. It absolutely doesn’t. Have a meeting to discuss your home life, how are the family? What are the children doing today? What are you up to this weekend? What is the best board game to play with children? Everyone needs a distraction from this and a conversation that doesn’t involve the word work or coro… I can’t even bring myself to say it. 

1. Respect people around you

Whether you like it or not, we are all in this together. This is an uncertain time for everyone and although you may feel stressed by all these changes, so does everybody around you. Whether you have children at home or if you’re like me and feel like you do (having a partner who constantly needs entertaining), the only way this will work is by respecting those around you and working together. 

I hope these tips have helped in some way, if only to show you that everyone is in the same boat and we are all paddling like mad! 

Stay safe everyone. 

Lauren