How to work from home

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smart-working-and-video-conference-QA8LHP6

With many people now facing the prospect of working from home to protect themselves against coronavirus what can you do to ease the transition? Although shop-floor based jobs require you to be onsite, many administration roles can be more flexible. As someone that has worked from home for over 20 years, Martin Bailey of 123 Insight offers a number of considerations along with a few tips and tricks to make the most of it.

Working from home may be considered a temporary solution by many, but it’s likely that this will become the new norm for some going forward. Some will have no issue with the changeover but I’ve spoken to many that have struggled when they’ve had to work from home, with others feeling they couldn’t do it at all – the temptation to do anything but work would be too great. Let’s start by looking at some of the financial benefits and potential drawbacks.

The cost and savings of working from home


Your first thought might be: ‘I’ll save a fortune by working from home’. Yes, there will be gains from commuting costs, buying lunch out and the like, but you will also have additional outgoings. Your power consumption will increase as you light and heat your home during the day when it might otherwise be empty. If you intend to work from home regularly then you may need to invest in some equipment – desk, chair, additional computer equipment, stationery, etc.

It’s worth drawing up a spreadsheet to tot up all of the estimated savings versus new outgoings. There are plenty of online calculators that will help you to estimate your increased power costs. You will save money in the long-term, but there may be some short-term outlays.

It’s also worth taking the time to shop around for lower cost energy suppliers, as well as ensuring that the lights you will use are low energy. LED bulbs use around 75% less power and last much longer. You may only be talking a £30-40 per year saving across your entire home, but it all adds up.

An often overlooked factor is household insurance. It may be that you’ll need extra cover if you are working from home, and especially if others have to meet or work from there. Check your policy, or better still call your vendor.

Location, Location, Location


Maybe you already have an area suitable for work such as a dedicated computer desk. If not, you need to give consideration to the amount of space you’ll need. Is your work mainly computer-based, telephone-based or focused on paperwork? Do you have room to store everything you’ll need?

Your home situation will most probably dictate where you can or indeed must work. If you have young children then it would be better to have a dedicated room where you can shut yourself off from the daily home soundtrack, also keeping your work safe from those under-age destructive forces. For those with deeper pockets either a loft conversion or one of the many available garden ‘cabins’ might be an option, giving you more space and adding value to your property at the same time.

Equipment


You’ve allocated an area of your home where you can work comfortably, so now you need to decide on the hardware and software that you’ll need to do your job. It may be that your company will provide you with relevant equipment such as a laptop, but what else might you need?

First off, communications! If you need to make/receive phone calls how do you plan on doing this? Do you have a company mobile? Does your personal mobile or home number have unlimited outgoing calls, or can you easily log the cost of outgoing calls to bill back to your company?

Are you even happy for your home number(s) to be potentially visible to staff or customers (because of caller ID)? These are all factors that you need to consider, and everyone will feel differently about this. One option would be to rent a VOIP (Voice Over IP) number, whereby you buy a number which can make or receive calls via computer rather than landline. Skype offers this for around £30 per year for unlimited calls, and you’d be able to make/receive calls on a PC, tablet or mobile device using the Skype app.

In order to sustain good quality communications you’ll also need to ensure that your broadband and W-Fi is up to scratch. Check that you don’t have a broadband cap, as you could quickly accrue additional charges. It’s worth discussing with your employer whether they’ll pick up or share the additional costs if you have to change to a higher tariff.

I always like to have a ‘Plan B’ for those inevitable times when broadband goes down, and this is where your mobile can come to the rescue. Most phones allow you to create a mobile hotspot, sharing your 4G data as a local Wi-Fi network and this can be a lifesaver if your broadband is less than reliable. You can quickly burn through your mobile data allowance though, so make sure that you keep an eye on it.

Most people will use a laptop – either their own or a company supplied one. If you’re using a desktop PC you may need to buy a webcam, but a laptop will have this built in.

Next up, invest in a good headset that you’ll be comfortable wearing for long periods. Although the above-mentioned laptop will have speakers and microphone you can often get feedback when on conference calls, which a headset will eliminate.

A wired variant will be cheaper, but Bluetooth will untether you from your desk, giving you the freedom to perhaps walk, talk and add to your step count. If you’ve opted for VOIP phone or use skype calls this has the added benefit of keeping your hands free when on calls.

If your desk space allows and you’ve not already done so it’s worth getting a second monitor. Research shows that people can work up to 30% more efficiently by having two screens. You can have emails open on one screen and whatever app you’re working in on the other.

A cheaper option is to repurpose a tablet as a second screen. There are plenty of apps out there that will allow you to plug in a tablet and either mirror or extend your PC screen. A word of warning – even with a 12.9” iPad Pro it can be hard work – a good-sized 20”+ screen is best.

Software and accessing your data


There will be standard apps that you use during work, and your company should be able to provide you with a license, but alternatively there may be cheaper or even free alternatives. Office 365 (which gives you access to all of Microsoft’s office suite) starts at around £6 per month and also gives you 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, but if you can’t stretch to that consider Libre Office, an open source and free alternative, covering word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. For email, Mozilla Thunderbird is a good alternative to Outlook.

You’ll probably need to access your office files, and an Office 365 subscription could solve that problem with OneDrive – just log in on both computers, move your office files into the OneDrive folder and they’ll immediately sync with your home PC.

If you can’t sync your data because it’s sensitive, there are alternatives. Your company’s IT department may be able to set up a VPN or remote desktop software to connect to your computer as if you were there, mirroring your office computer’s screen on your home PC.

Real VNC is a great, secure and free way to do this – just create a free account, install the server on your office PC and the client app on your home PC. Once set up you can connect in literally seconds. It also has the added benefit of working on tablets and mobiles, so you can access your PC from anywhere on any device if need be.

You should also go as paperless as possible. Every computer can create or read a PDF, and you can use your phone as a document scanner to quickly create and email multi-page PDFs as required. Couple that with cloud storage and you can scan a document and email someone a OneDrive link to it in the cloud with a couple of taps. It’s obviously better for the environment, you’ll save space and won’t have to spend extra money on printer consumables.

Dedication’s what you need


You’ve got your office set-up, access to your data and telecoms sorted – now you’ve actually got to do some work. Although one of the benefits of working remotely means that (depending on your job) you may be able to work flexible hours it’s good practice to replicate a fixed working day, at least at the beginning.

It can be easy to get distracted by home chores or projects, especially if there are others in the house. If family members know that between X and Y you are ‘not there’ they will quickly learn to respect that as long as you do.

It may be a minor point, but don’t use the fact that you’re unlikely to see another living soul in person all day to be an excuse for not taking care of your appearance. If the boss suddenly wants a skype call and you’re in your dressing gown sporting that ‘just dragged through a hedge backwards’ look it doesn’t send the message that you’re slaving over a hot keyboard. We feel better when we are dressed for the part.

Your wellbeing


Do not underestimate the potential that working from home has to take a negative toll on your health, both physically and mentally. Physically, you will move a lot less. You’re not expending any energy on a commute and you’re not walking around an office. It’s therefore important to take time out for exercise – maybe take a walk at lunchtime or go to the gym before or after work.

I struggled with the commitment of going out to a gym – especially on cold, dreary nights – so invested in some gym equipment at home. This left me with no excuses and allows me to have a workout before work, meaning that I sit down at 9am feeling energised and like I’ve got a head-start on the day.

A simpler way to easily burn a few calories without effort is to buy a standing desk, which you can adjust to either a seated or standing position within seconds. There are products such as Varidesk which will convert your existing desk for relatively low cost. You may also want to keep more of an eye on your daily step count with a fitness tracker such as an Apple Watch or Fitbit. This will give you visibility about how much (or little) exercise you’re actually getting.

A high-quality chair is equally important, as you’ll spend a lot of time on it – possibly longer than your office chair. Don’t just order a chair online – try it out first if possible or be prepared to return it if you feel aches and pains after a few hours of sitting on it.

Many struggle with the isolation of working remotely. We respond to visual communication as well as audio and cutting one element of this out can be the most difficult aspect of home working. Switch to video calling rather than telephone or text – even if you’re not a fan of video conferencing you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll get used to it.

Probably the biggest downside if you are one of only a few in your company that work remotely is that you might miss out on the social aspect. If you regularly work from home where others are still based at the office/factory, ensure that you make time and effort to attend any social events, and do make the effort to increase video, telephone or text calls with those that you would normally interact with when onsite.

Listening to music has long since been known to either relax or help you focus, and you can use your computer to stream radio stations or music streaming services to your headset. If you don’t want another monthly subscriptions you may get by with some of the free ad-supported offerings by the likes of Spotify, but you can easily create your own jukebox by ‘ripping’ your existing CD collection to your PC. Most computers have ample space to store even an impressively sized library without needing to increase storage.

Of course, the biggest health benefit to working from home is that you come into contact with fewer people. You’ll reduce your risk of catching colds and flu, as well as anything nastier. Particularly poignant at the moment with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Working from home also positively shifts the overall work-life balance. You’re no longer spending time on a commute, so can take children to school, are free for those early evening school events and are at home if they are sick. Even if they know you are not available to them when you are working, the fact that you are close by can be a comfort and even help to build a better relationship.

Summary


Overall, the benefits of working from home far outweigh the drawbacks. You no longer have the stress and cost of a commute, there’s no office dress code and it gives you more time to be with your family. With the right hardware/software set-up you can minimise or eradicate any drawbacks from not being in the office.

Attitude is important – you have to be of the mindset that you’re ‘at work’, despite the reality of your actual location. That’s why a dedicated space is so important.

To finalise, here are my top tips to working successfully at home:


  • Be disciplined with your hours – always have a fixed start time

  • Have a dedicated work area; ideally a separate room where you can set up and leave everything ready

  • Get the right furniture – comfort is a priority

  • Make sure that you have rock-solid communications. A good broadband connection, backed up with a Plan B of mobile broadband should you need it is essential. Good headphones and microphone are also recommended

  • Have the right software. In addition to the software you currently use, investigate if there are other tools that can make working from home easier and perhaps even more effective

  • Make time for exercise. It’s very easy to quickly form unhealthy habits

  • Make the effort - ensure that should you have to jump on camera you are presentable

  • Appreciate the difference that working from home provides - although there is an adjustment to make there is much to gain from it
123 Insight www.123insight.com

 

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