Do I even need to say Corona virus for you to know where I am going here? In the last weeks, our lives have changed drastically and it’s not business as usual: Social distancing has become business distancing.
Vast numbers of people are working from home during this crisis. Employers are not just asking their people to work from home, they are mandating it.
So how do you handle working from a home office? Maybe you always thought it's what you wanted. It may be a bit more challenging than you realized.
As someone who has worked from home for 25 years, I have some suggestions for how to maintain your productivity and professionalism from your newly-created home work place.
Designate a specific space for your office. For some that maybe easier said than done. For others you may have to operate from a shared space since not everyone has a spare room waiting to be used. Even if you do, you may need to share your office with a spouse or partner also working remotely. The arrangement may not be ideal.
Set ground rules for others in the house. Just because you are home doesn’t make you fair game whenever a family member wants to ask you a question.
Create a routine for starting your day. Model it after your previous schedule when you got up, dressed, and left for work. I call this “Let’s pretend.” Let’s pretend you are going to your "away-from-home" office.
Get dressed for work. Yes, dress for work. Get out of those pj’s. That will help get you in the right mindset. Should you receive an unexpected video call, you'll be ready to present a professional image.
Schedule breaks and honor that time. You would be taking breaks before and not thinking much about your water-cooler time. Step away from your desk from time to time to refresh.
Don’t be hard on yourself. Take advantage of the perks. It’s okay to put in a load of wash or tend to other home chores. Cut yourself some slack. Consider how much time people waste in an office on a daily basis.
Stay off social media during your business hours. Turn off everything that might be a distraction. Ouch!
Declare your WFH (work from home) hours. People need to know when you are available. Consider publishing your work hours online and putting them on your voice mail greeting. That way people won’t assume that you are goofing off when they can’t reach you.
Establish an end of day routine. Just as you set your morning routine, have one for how you finish the day. Review the day, create a work plan for the following day, shut down your computer and leave the office.
These are just a few suggestions for working effectively from home. Most are good old common sense. Some things you have control over; some things you don’t. Your organization probably didn’t have a playbook in place for this situation so everyone is working it out together.
The goal is to stay focused, productive and professional while not being hard on yourself and your family—and that includes the dog.
Lydia Ramsey is an international business etiquette and modern manners expert. She is the president and founder of Lydia Ramsey, Inc., a firm based in Savannah, Georgia, offering seminars, keynote speeches and executive coaching to corporations, associations, colleges and universities. She began her career as an etiquette consultant over thirty years ago.
Among her clients are Turner Construction International, Colas International, Gulfstream Aerospace, Georgia Ports Authority, PSS World Medical, TSYS, SunTrust Bank, The PGA Tour, The American Hospital Association, The US Federal District Courts and The US Bankruptcy Court and The Insurance Underwriters of Georgia. Lydia firmly believes that etiquette in business is not about the rules; it’s about the relationships.
www.lydiaramsey.com
