BUSINESS

Working from home is this the new norm...

Whilst a lot of employers ‘home’ around me. In addition, have not naturally I didn’t feel confident that my warmed to the idea of allowing employer fully trusted that I was employees to work from home, actually doing any work whilst I after being ‘strongly advised’ to was at home... I therefore spent only go to work if absolutely a lot of wasted time, proving that essentially, I think there has been I was working - either calling to some positive that has come ‘report in’ or ‘touch base’, emailing Joy Bruce from the Corona Virus that we updates of tasks achieved or collaboraterecruitment.com have been unexpectedly hit with. productive conversations had, If nothing else, it has forced / rather than perhaps focussing encouraged companies not only my energy on just doing the job to entrust their staff, but to look at hand and drawing inspiration at remote working set ups in a without the distraction from way that gets the best out of a the outside world or office situation, with everyone in mind. It environment. can be done and moving forward, I have worked in target may become the new norm.... driven environments for most of we need to embrace change my career, so results speak for and consider these new ways of themselves. KPI’s aside, if I have working, in order to keep up with ever been given a monetary the ever changing world. target, my personal aim has always been to smash it! With Talking from a personal this in mind, the only way to perspective.... achieve the end result, has been When I first started working to work hard. The day I realised from home, I must admit, I wasn’t that I didn’t have to work in the overly convinced that it was ‘traditional’ office environment to the most productive way to get achieve my own targets, was the much done. This could have been day home working really started because I was set up with only to have a positive impact on my my laptop, at my dining room work / life balance. table and the distractions of In order to achieve the work life balance however, I have had to routine the way I work from home, to keep motivated and on top of my game.

Number 1 - Set yourself up with a dedicated office space - whilst not everyone has the benefit of a separate study / office, a dedicated area where you can go to work, away from the distractions of ‘quickly loading the dishwasher’ or ‘doing a load of washing’ is really important.

Number 2 - Stick to a routine, even if you only work from home on the occasion. Try and get up at your normal time and stick to your work routine - this will prevent you from getting into the habit of rolling out of bed onto your chair and not being ready to start your day with the right mindset! I am not suggesting getting fully ‘office’ dressed, because I am a real advocate of working from home in a tracksuit - comfort over style, when nobody can see!

Number 3 - One of the main benefits to working from home for me, especially as I have a family with a frantic daily school run and a dog walk to incorporate before 9am, is the fact that I can cut out commuting time and of course.... avoid rush hour traffic - one of the most stressful ways to start a day, is by getting stuck in traffic and then racing against time, to find a car parking space near work, dashing to the office in inappropriately high, uncomfortable shoes, quite possibly in the pouring rain...all before 9am, when work has officially started - Apart from starting the day feeling exhausted, there is certainly no chance grabbing a quick cup of tea, after ‘sauntering in’ with no seconds to spare....Need I say more!

Number 4 - Brain space, to be creative and more effective - for some, I can see why working from home full time, may not be an option - I, like many, love interacting with people and if I work with like minded people, the interaction is more often motivating as opposed to distracting. That being said, there are times when working from home can be really useful, especially when you have a piece of work or a project that needs to be focussed on or completed within an agreed time frame. Being able to just focus on your work can often mean that you can get far more done, in a shorter space of time. Think of the distractions that are presented in a work environment....and that is not just when you are saying good morning, or offering someone a cup of tea/coffee! Number 5 - Lastly, from an employers point of view - running a business comes with such financial commitments, that if you could cut back on even a proportion of the running costs of an office, this could mean shifting some of the pressure away from ‘getting results’ to pay the bills and more towards getting the most out of your teams, for everyone’s benefit. Office overheads can be reduced if not everyone needs to have a desk at all times, thus saving space. hot desking set ups and shared office space is becoming a more popular way to work - not only for small businesses, but for larger businesses to reduce their overheads whilst still providing a vibrant, dedicated space for staff to come together to work.

From a recruitment perspective - I have spent the past 18 months encouraging my clients to recruit with a more open minded approach, in order to attract the best talent available. Flexible working hours and remote working to name just a few cost effective incentives, certainly enables employers to attract the best talent available out there....My advice is to accept and get on with it, before it becomes the expectation. If nothing else, it will help make you stand out above your competitors, who are still set in the traditional working ways.

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