If you’ve never worked from home before, it can be a tremendous adjustment to try to figure out how to be productive. Remote work requires a different kind of approach, and it can be helpful to learn best practices from others who have been at it for years.
TCT has been an entirely remote company since its inception. We’ve just released two on-demand webinars that take you through all of the best practices we’ve discovered through the years.
- The first webinar reveals basic best practices for boosting your work-at-home productivity. You’ll discover how to work better, stay sane, and overcome the toughest challenges of remote work.
- The second webinar is an advanced dive into the security and compliance issues that were created by your transition to a remote workforce. You’ll learn how to develop policies and processes that protect your company when you can’t control your employees’ workspaces.
Watch them now and make your work-from-home experience more productive and more secure.
Here’s a quick take of the basic best practices webinar.
Get the Right Equipment
Working from home takes more than a secure laptop and a secure network — especially if you’re going to be working remotely for an extended time. You need a setup that lets you be as productive and focused as your office work environment does. Here’s a basic home office supply shopping list for you:
- Designated computer that’s only used for work
- Dependable Internet/WiFi
- Phone
- Webcam for clear video conferencing
- Headphones. If you have family at home as well, consider noise-canceling headphones. Find a soft, comfortable set that you can wear all day.
- Ergonomic office furniture. It can be pretty uncomfortable working from the kitchen table all day. Consider the height of your monitor. Get an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, and invest in a good chair.
Finally, invest in a cup with a lid! I can’t tell you how many laptops and keyboards have been ruined by coffee cups without lids.
Diminish Distractions
Distractions are probably the most common concern people have about working from home. If you take a few actions, you can reduce distractions enough to be productive and focused while working remotely. Follow these tips:
- Find a quiet room to do your work in.
- Talk with your kids about why you’re working at home and what that means. Lay some ground rules and teach them to recognize when you can’t be interrupted. Tell them how they can be helpful to you during the workday, and reassure them that you’ll spend time with them when you aren’t working. Take some breaks during the day and do something active with them.
- Reduce pet distractions. When you get on a call, give your dog a favorite chew toy or something that will keep them occupied for an extended time. Take dogs outside before you start any long calls. For cats, set up a comfy cat bed near you.
- Put chores out of your mind by scheduling chore time outside of work hours. Take care of dishes and messes either early in the morning or as soon as you’re done, so they don’t pile up.
Protect Your Health
If you aren’t proactive about it, your physical and mental health can take a hit when you’re working from home.
- Schedule calls wisely. Don’t line up your calls back-to-back-to-back all day without breaks in between. Schedule at least 10-15 minutes between each one. You need that break to take care of necessities, reset mentally, prep for your next meeting, or deal with your kids or pets.
- Stress can pile up, especially during a quarantine. Try some meditation apps like Headspace or Whil. Get exercise! Go for a walk during the day, or get out on the bike. Do some yoga.
- Set reminders to get up, stretch, walk, move. It isn’t good to be stuck in your chair all day.
Tips and Tricks
Finally, we share some miscellaneous tips and tricks to make your workday more productive at home. You’ll find more in the webinar, but here’s a few to get you started:
- Use the Pomodoro method to boost your focus and productivity.
- Schedule social chats with coworkers. Find out how they’re doing. Use a chat application like Slack, or just send a note.
- Use your commute savings wisely. Take advantage of that time for more productivity, or for de-stressing at the end of your day.
- Dress professionally. It really does make a difference.
- Segregate work and personal time.
Go Deeper for Greater Success
Check out our advanced session on the technical elements of remote working. You’ll get an advanced dive into the security and compliance issues that were created by your transition to a remote workforce. Discover how to develop policies and processes that protect your company when you can’t control your employees’ workspaces.
TCT was founded on a vision to support every person who deals with compliance — those who need to prove compliance, auditors and assessors, even vendors and partners. In the five years since it was launched, TCT Portal has helped more and more companies experience a satisfaction around compliance that they never thought possible.
