Working from home is simply awesome. From taking an extra hour nap and getting up late from the bed to completing personal work without any leave deduction is a luxury that our companies can afford to give us with a happy face. But, with the widespread effect of Coronavirus or COVID-19 all across the globe, it has become a compulsion for them to give work from home to most of their employees. Be it Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Salesforce, Spotify or Amazon, all these companies have rolled out work from home policy to safeguard the interest of their workforce.
But, are your employees really doing the work they are supposed to do? Or they are using this time simply acting as if they are working more than they work in the office. So, we thought why not to come up with the ethics and work from home best practices that every employee should follow.
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Communication
“The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
Ask any team manager what is the biggest problem they face when they give someone work from home? The answer would be LACK OF COMMUNICATION. While good communication can do wonders for you, a bad one can become the biggest pain for the managers.
You won’t realise but your tone can be lost in no time if you are discussing something with your team members via text. Instead, use Emojis to inculcate feelings in what you are saying. Another work from home best practices is, updating your work status frequently so others may also get to know that every team member is on the same page.
If someone has personally mentioned you or sending you a task, do let the person know that you have received the message by showing a “thumbs-up” or sending a “Got it” reply. You are not just saving them from hanging in the middle but it is also a sign of you being courteous.
Wellness
Not everyone in this world is a bachelor. So, when married employees do work from home, there are chances that you may see the smiling faces of their little ones in between a video call. And believe us, there is nothing to worry about it. They might even love to wave hello to them. Everyone understands that you are juggling between the two roles: parents as well as a staffer. Waking up on time is one of the work from home best practices that everyone should follow. Kick start your day as you usually do while going to the office. This will not just keep you ready for the activities but will also energise you for the rest of the day.
Working Space
No matter how cosy or convenient it may sound, but when you do work from home, make sure that you refrain yourself from working on the bed. In fact, create a unique workspace which can be used specifically for work. Have a well lit working corner with a good table, ergonomic chair and books around it. It will at least emanate the feel of nothing less than working in the office. Also, it could be your wife or your mom who may ask you to help in bringing something from the nearest grocery store or in filling water bottles (pun intended). So, you can place a “do not disturb sign” in the room where you are working.
So, do follow these work from home best practices and we bet you, not just during this period of Coronavirus period, but in the future too, your manager won’t reject your plea for a work from home day.
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Socialise With Colleagues
Remember those tea breaks when your office group used to stand outside the building and having a serious discussion on the topics ranging from politics, kids’ admission to planning office parties. But, that’s not the case when you do work from home. Things become quite difficult especially for extroverts who like to socialise with everyone and every team. So, try to socialise through different channels to keep your spirit up. It could be a WhatsApp group or some other platform where you guys can chat or call about your personal stuff and not official work. Plan with your team members to catch up for a cup of tea or coffee and unwind the tiredness of the day.
