How to Work Remotely and Effectively

Darren Bagnall from Flat Living Insurance provides support for those now working from home.

Are you looking forward to remote working? Fed up of the drive to work every day? Don’t expect it to be as easy as you might think… Some key issues include digital miscommunications, time management, boredom and burning out.

So, what do you need to prepare yourself for?

IT Issues

First and foremost, you will likely be aware of the frustrations of setting up the practicalities of remote working. 

I.T. problems are more difficult to resolve – whether your issues are with the software, the Wi-Fi dropping or your computer playing up. 

Luckily many IT companies can provide remote access to you and your team’s machines to provide solutions but this may take time and needs testing to sure it works effectively.

Productivity

Without other co-workers around to hold you accountable, you may not be as productive as you would be in your normal office environment. 

The comforts of home can prove tempting and make it a little tougher to motivate yourself when you’re not around other working individuals.

With the children being off school, these ‘homely’ distractions of kids, pets, laundry and tidying the house can make it much more difficult to be as productive as normal. Distractions around the home are easy to give in to so make sure to take a break every hour or two- get some fresh air or even just to read the post or put a load of laundry on.

Distractions can get even worse if you struggle at following a strict schedule. Due to not having an office routine it’s much easier for it to constantly be snack o’clock, or chit chat time over the phone with friends and family who know you’re home, you may also just want to sleep in, or even ditch work and enjoy the good weather.

All these could potentially lead to a lack of productivity in your work, which in turn will put your business in danger so make sure to tie yourself to structured working hours (including set break and lunch times), don’t take personal calls during your working hours, set alarms and block time on a calendar.

Effective Communication is Vital

Communication with co-workers or clients can easily be misconstrued if not thought through carefully.

There are so many ways to communicate when remote working- options can include email, video chat, phone calls, social messaging and Microsoft Teams. However, communication doesn’t always guarantee successful productivity, particularly when a customer or co-worker is unresponsive on those channels. 

You also can’t, in an email or text, appreciate the tone of a message. You perhaps won’t get a sense of a client’s appreciation, approval, or other thoughts on job performance. Also, remember that often when typing a quick message, they can come across to the reader as too abrupt or brash.

Those self-isolating with you may not understand that you need to be working and it can be frustrating. Even your boss micromanaging to ensure you are working can be a challenge.  

If you need to do something “personal” during work hours, notify your company and team as, if you are found to be uncontactable during this time, it can lead to concern that you are not fulfilling your role.

The Importance of Work-Life Balance

Make sure you stop working at your normal time every day and ignore the urge to check messages outside of your working hours. Otherwise, every time you are tempted to open up your laptop and just do ‘five minutes of work,’ it will potentially turn into an hour. 

Focus on setting work-life boundaries since your home is your office now. You’re never technically ‘leaving’ work unless you turn off all communication platforms.  Make a habit to sign out of an email and any other work channels, so you can enjoy a healthy work-life balance.

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For more information, call the Flat Living Insurance team on 0333 577 2044.