Tips for working from home

In my experience I had jobs where I worked with people all over the world and not a single person in the same office or country I was based in. In this scenario it was of great benefit to my employer and me for me to work remotely.

There are many benefits for the company and employee in having a remote working policy. If a company has many employees work from home then they can have a very small office in comparison to having everyone come to an office in a city centre / business park. The employees are happier as they save time and money as they have no commute and the company is more profitable as they save millions of euros on rent, office furniture, maintenance and utilities. So this is win-win for the employer and employee.

It does take a certain kind of person to work from home as it is not for everyone. To work from home you need self-discipline, to be proactive, self-sufficient and to be comfortable with technology.

These are my tips for having a comfortable and productive home working environment –

Ideally have your own room where you can close your door to the rest of the house and family where you can work and everyone knows that this is your office. A door also allows you to close the door on your office when you finish for the day so you do not feel that you are always at work even on weekends. If you do not have a separate office with a door to close then by putting a bed sheet over your workstation can provide a sense of the office being closed.

Wear the same clothes that you would wear in the office so you feel like you are at work (in my case it is chinos and a shirt). Then when you finish work change into non-work clothes (t-shirt and shorts) so you feel like you are at home.

As it is likely that your employer will have given you a laptop ask them to also send you an external monitor, mouse and keyboard. If your employer does not do this then it is a worthwhile investment of your own so you have a comfortable work station.

Make sure you follow a fixed work schedule (9am to 6pm with regular breaks throughout the day and time away from your desk for lunch) so you are not working 24/7

When you end work for the day, you end work for the day. So no checking email after dinner.

It is important to go outside each day. So go for a walk, swim etc as it is important to leave the house each day as otherwise it can feel that you are only ever at “home” or at “work”.

Please share more tips for working from home in the comments section