Working from home and the future of work

The lines between home and work have become more blurred as the balance between home and the office has shifted so significantly towards working from home.

There are lots of positives about being able to work from home and many workers are saying they have enjoyed it and some hoping that their employers will look to utilise a hybrid model in the future. On the contrary, research shows that the blurring of lines between home and work and the relentlessness of the pandemic workday have taken a toll on people’s wellbeing.

Business owners may need to potentially embrace a new way of working, whether virtual or a hybrid model and put team wellbeing at the top of their agenda.

 

• Keep in regularly contact with your team and use different technologies for keeping in touch with people. Consider using text messaging, WhatsApp and email.  Use video conferencing systems such as Skype and Zoom to keep some human/virtual contact – try having virtual meetings and perhaps even a virtual lunch!
• Maintain regular hours. Set a schedule and stick to it.
• Create a morning routine which includes getting dressed.
• Take the time to create a plan for the day and share your plan with team members.
• Set ground rules with anyone else who is at home, so they understand what you need.
• Schedule breaks – we often find working from home is when people can get more into flow so make sure you take a break and don’t feel guilty about doing so; you would do this as part of your normal working day – as part of your break, make the time to keep hydrated.
• Create and keep a dedicated office space that works for you – find where works best for you and stick to it. Check your seating and positioning to make sure you are looking after your posture.
• Remain positive and look after your own health and wellbeing through this time. Do what you need to ensure that you keep a good outlook, talk to people if you need and try some mindfulness – for some more info about mindfulness click here.
• Get outdoors – make some time to get some fresh air and exercise. Even if it’s a trot around the garden or a walk around the block.
• Have an end of day routine which includes making a note of your key successes and creating a plan of clear outcomes for the next day.
• Leave work! One of the downsides to working from home is that you can feel that you don’t leave work.  Use your end of day routine as part of this but make sure you finish at a reasonable hour and shut everything down.
• Use some of the time ahead to think about your own development too. What will you focus on in the coming weeks to support your personal development? Create time to learn something new.

If you have an accountant, they should be your first stop for business advice. If you don’t have an accountant or they can’t help, BuBul has a wide range of experts available. For more advice, why not contact our expert* Michelle on LinkedIn?

*We’ve picked experts we know and trust who are good at what they do. All of them will give you at least an extra 30 minutes free advice if you contact them and would then charge their normal prices. They don’t pay to be on BuBul and don’t give us any money from anything they earn as an expert.