The coronavirus has suddenly made working from home a reality for many employees. According to a study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), around 35% of employees are working from home, especially higher earners. For some, the home office is a work oasis where productivity sprouts and you are completely "in the zone". Others have great difficulty concentrating on their work and are constantly distracted.
One in three employees would like to work from home. The option of working from home - at least temporarily - has been proven to increase employer attractiveness. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, working from home and the opportunity to focus on work within your own four walls will continue to play an important role in the future.
The home office defines a contemporary personnel policy; an employee's performance is not measured by their presence, but by their output. This form of working makes people happy. According to her, home workers were much happier than their colleagues in the office.
1. the right place
First of all, you should decide where you want to set up your workstation at home. A large dining table is suitable, for example. There's plenty of room for your laptop, folders etc. Even better, of course, would be a dedicated study with a desk and office chair.
2. your own rhythm
Working from home sounds like relaxation, but it doesn't mean you should sleep in comfortably in the morning. Start on time. This shouldn't actually be difficult for people working from home, as you don't have to get dressed up in the bathroom or drive the distance to the office. The time you save is then effectively invested in your work.
3. allow periods of concentration
If you have to manage an extremely time-critical project while working from home, you can cut off your email inbox and phone sometimes. Let your colleagues in the office know and allow yourself the luxury of not being available. You can use these undisturbed phases to concentrate on your tasks. Normally, however, you should be available to customers and colleagues by email or cell phone during normal office hours (e.g. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) in case there are any queries.
4. find an end
Define clear daily goals in your home office, preferably in the form of a to-do list that you tick off item by item. Once everything is done, you can relax and call it a day. Clear your desk after work and shut down your PC! That way, you won't be tempted to check your company emails again late at night. Because even when working from home, there should be a clearly defined end to the working day. Then your private life comes first.
Let's summarize: Find a quiet, tidy place in your home office. Bring structure to your day and plan breaks. Set yourself specific daily goals, and once you have achieved them, you can go home with a clear conscience. With these framework conditions, you can work happily and productively from home.
1. stop communicating all the time
With so many parallel channels through which we can communicate with our colleagues, we find it difficult not to communicate. Successful teams communicate a lot, but this communication is not evenly distributed over time. Rather, phases of rapidly increasing and then decreasing communication alternate with phases of completely concentrated and focused work. Without these phases of non-communication, teams are unable to really penetrate problems and develop successful solutions.
These phases of effective and concentrated work without distraction from others are therefore also known as "deep work". At the same time, the short phases of intensive communication are needed to stimulate new ideas in others or to decide on a solution option in the group. Only the combination of "deep work" and targeted exchange makes teams efficient.
2. only one topic per communication
The way most of us use emails, they are a rather ineffective form of communication. This is because they violate the principle of "deep work" and short phases of dynamic exchange. Realistically, however, we are not going to do away with emails for the time being. However, we should at least try to make it a better means of communication.
You are probably familiar with these emails from colleagues in which a variety of topics are touched on. This is often followed by two more emails in which further information on some of the topics is hidden. Our attention is lost in the process. It is not clear to us what the most important topic of this communication should be.
Every communication should concentrate on the smallest possible number of topics. When we are confronted with small packets of information, we can focus our attention better. It is easier for us to decode the communication quickly. So instead of one long email covering three topics, ask your team to write three separate emails. This makes it easier for everyone to go into depth and discuss each individual topic with everyone who has something to contribute.
Ifyou want to motivate yourself or your team to perform better in the home office, then get in touch with us.