There are many advantages to working from home, the most significant being the time you save on your commute to and from your office (which in metros amounts to anywhere between 2-3 hours). However, there are also numerous drawbacks to working from home, the most common among which being the blurring of the demarcation line between work and personal life. Let us take a look at a few of the common hurdles faced when working from home and also guidelines to overcome them.
1. Increase Internet Speed
Nowadays with the whole family working or studying from home the whole internet infrastructure at home will need to be upgraded. Also due to the overload of traffic in your locality (with most households logging in at the same time), there is bound to be a slowing of the network speed which will hinder your work schedule. Therefore the most important priority is increasing the internet speed, opting for fiber optic technology will ensure faster connection speed, thereby making it possible for the whole family to access the internet at the same time without facing any technical snags.
2. Ergonomics
Another issue has been the rising number of poor posture-related muscle problems faced by many people over the past few months. This is due to the fact that being at home tends to make people pick their favorite relaxing spots like the couch or bed and slouch over the laptop. While this would have been okay before when it was just a question of sending a quick e-mail etc, now that working from home is going to be the new normal it is definitely not a feasible option.
It is definitely worth investing in a good quality adjustable chair and work desk. The laptop or monitor should be at eye level to ensure you don’t have to strain your neck to view the screen.
3. Dedicated Work Areas
It would be a good idea to allot specific work areas to each family member so that they can work in peace and quiet. This is especially necessary during online classes for your kids or an important meeting for you.
4. Exercise
The office environment involves a fair amount of walking around whether it is to discuss work with your employees, walking to the pantry for a cup of coffee, or even stepping out for lunch or a business meeting. At home with most meetings being conducted via the phone or online and lunch is just a few steps away from your workstation, walking is considerably reduced. Therefore it is necessary to make a conscious effort to incorporate enough exercise into your daily work routine.
Here are a few ways you can do that:
- Make it a habit to get up every half an hour and walk around the room for 5 minutes.
- When taking a call on the phone which does not require any work on the laptop walk around the room or other quiet areas around the house.
- Set aside an hour a day for exercise or for a walk/run around the neighborhood
5. Strict adherence to Boundaries Set
It is necessary to set clear boundaries between your work life and personal life, however, the fact that you are working from home makes it that bit more difficult. Therefore it is necessary to set a few ground rules like:
- Start and end work at the same time you would on a normal day at the office
- Resist the temptation to finish just that bit of extra work, for then there is no end to your workday.
- Shut down and set away your laptop along with any office related paperwork
- This policy should extend to meetings via the phone also (unless there is some pressing issue)
By following these guidelines you can ensure your work gets done while also enjoying the benefits of being at home.
