Working from home is the new normal for many people, but I have been doing it for a while and its hard (just incase you thought you were the only person thinking it). There are so many distractions, excuses to do other tasks. I have seen a post about tracking software that are employers are getting staff to run to prevent them for losing time and zoom calls to check up on staff, it’s all getting a bit paranoid and strange.
Before going down that road ask your self a few questions about there jobs
- What tasks do they need to complete?
- Do they have goals or a weekly todo list?
- Are they getting results?
My OCD someone straighten that phone 😉
- Do they have the equipment to complete the job?
- Do they have a place to work from home?
- Are they happy working from home ?
What I have found, I ask a lot for tips from working from home, is that lots of people don’t have a desk or the right chair to work from home. Some people just use a dining room table and chair. The broadband might not be great if they need to connect to zoom calls and if they do how’s their background, think about a branded design. (I saw a guy on a a Welsh Covid briefing doing a Zoom call for questions from his bedroom he could of tidied up first.) How capable is the laptop or desktop, is it secure and is it inline with GDPR.
Think about when your staff are in the office they take breaks so as long as tasks are getting done support your team and trust in them. Share a todo list so you can see progress and the team can support each other Asana, Trello, and Todist are all great for sharing and assigning tasks and use Pomodoro to time tasks into 25 minute slots and break timers (I have set mine to 50 minute with a 10 minute break. Schedule a supportive team meeting and discuss your 90 day, 30 day and 7 day goals. Have a quick one to one and ask how people are doing working from home. Maybe you could send a little treat gift box to cheer your staff up.
Joe from Elektra Design can design a great Zoom background
Kenny from Datum Office Technologies can help with updating equipment
Steve from Coast Consultants can help with Security policies in your business
