Working From Home Effectively

Working from home isn’t a new concept. Some people work from home all the time; but, since the COVID-19 pandemic more people who can work from home have been doing so and will likely continue to do so in the future. While working from home can be an easy adjustment for some, it’s not always the case for others.

So, how do you work from home effectively?

First, you need a good workspace. Generally, any workspace where you can comfortably work and is free from (most) distractions and disruptions should suffice; however, everyone is different, and you’ll need to adapt your workspace to meet your specific needs and environment. For instance, some people have a home office or may use a guest bedroom as a dedicated workspace when working work from home while others may be perfectly fine sitting at their kitchen or dining room table. You’ll need to figure out what works best for you!

Second, you’ll need to have the necessary technology resources to work from home. At a minimum, this usually means having a decent computer with high-speed (broadband) Internet access but depending on the type of work that you do, you may also need software, a printer, etc. If your workplace provides you with a work laptop with the necessary software, you have high-speed Internet access at home and provided you can connect your work computer to your home Internet, you should be up and running relatively quickly. However, if you have a personal home computer that you have never used to connect to work, you don’t have the necessary software and so forth, you may need to consult with your company’s IT department for guidance and/or assistance. Obviously, if you have slow Internet access at home, require business software and/or other equipment, these will be additional obstacles to overcome to work from home effectively.

Third, you need to have remote access to any necessary business resources. That is, if you need access to your work e-mail, phone/voicemail, company servers, proprietary systems etc. you’ll need a way to remotely access those business resources safely and securely to do your job. If you were issued a company laptop, you probably have a way to access your e-mail, or your company may have some form of webmail access. As for phone/voicemail, your company’s phone system may allow forwarding of calls to another number, checking voicemail remotely, using a soft phone client app to make/receive calls from your office number, etc. Likewise, your company should have options for remotely accessing business files, documents, file servers, shared drives, and any other applicable systems safely and securely (ex: VPN, remote desktop or remote access software, cloud storage, etc.). Again, you may need to consult with your company’s IT department for further guidance and/or assistance.

Lastly, you need to have discipline! Without discipline, you will not be able to work from home effectively even if you have all the necessary tools and resources to do your job from home. Some people are naturally more disciplined than others. If you tend to be less disciplined outside the office, if you need to be in a physical office environment to motivate you to do your job, if you require constant direct supervision to keep you focused and on track, you’ll need to step up and work much harder to be effective when working from home.

I’ve heard of struggles people face when working from home and often, the issue is discipline or a lack thereof especially when they have all the necessary tools and resources to work from home. Granted, there are legitimate caveats and exceptions but often, it’s generally a matter of discipline.