How to Optimize Your Remote Home Office
Remote work has become the new reality for many office workers throughout Canada. While the global pandemic has provided a respite from traffic and hours of commuting, some unexpected challenges have arisen from working from home. We have listed the top 5 ways to optimize your remote home office, so that your workday is both productive and comfortable.
Home Office Setup
For anyone who is lucky enough to have a separate home office, the remote desk setup is more straightforward. But regardless of your home office situation, whether it’s a separate room or just the corner of a multi-purpose room (kitchen, bedroom, etc), these tips will apply to all situations. Ideally the desk should be situated close to a window for natural lighting, which improves both visibility during video calls, as well as general mood throughout the day. (You’ll notice that most offices have large, floor to ceiling windows for this reason). Additionally, a portable light can help to illuminate your face during meetings. Standing desks have become increasingly popular to avoid hours of sitting at your desk. A comfortable desk chair and personal memorabilia are just two of the perks of working from home. Also, a mug warmer (often not allowed in work offices) is a great way to keep your coffee warm – just make sure to turn it off at the end of the day.
Flexibility
Many of us have other family members also working from home, children who are distance learning, or elderly parents who have special needs. Flexibility is important when working around lunch, breaks, and school schedules. Speak to your manager about flexible work hours, to ensure there is proper team coverage while adapting to the challenging family situations that have arisen from the pandemic. Ideally, a laptop can be used to move to a different room if and when the need arises, but for ergonomic reasons you may want to connect to a monitor and docking station for most of the workday.
Wifi
With more people at home, we are all competing for the same thing – wifi! Whether it’s with our neighbours or our own family members. There is nothing more frustrating than a slow or unreliable internet connection. Imagine that you are in an important virtual meeting but all of sudden other people cannot see or hear you. One tip for improving your wifi speed is to invest in a proper router with a good signal. The newer wifi routers send stronger signals to lessen the interference that can happen with your neighbours. Another tip is to look into wifi extenders to get proper coverage throughout your house, especially if your office is located further away from your main router. Finally, consider investing in faster internet service as the added cost is worthwhile during the pandemic.
Make Time for Breaks
Taking breaks during the workday is incredibly important for maintaining our physical and mental health. Our coworkers used to be the best indicators for when we need a break. Work from home doesn’t allow us to grab a coffee chat with others. So ensure that you book time in your calendar for a physical break from your desk, ideally once in the morning and once in the mid-afternoon. Weather permitting, you could also book a backyard or walking break with another coworker to change up the scenery.
Work Life vs Home Life
It has become increasingly difficult for people to separate their work life from their home life, since both things now happen in the same location! One suggestion is to have a set time to begin and end your workday, that you communicate to your manager and coworkers. This will help you to manage expectations on your availability. Another tip is to have a physical marker for ending the workday, whether it’s closing the door to your home office, or simply closing your laptop.
Working from home can be very rewarding, which is something that remote workers have known long before the global pandemic began. Judging from the reports from various companies, a hybrid office/remote work approach may be here to stay. With some preparation and planning to optimize your remote home office, you can ensure that this new approach has a positive impact on your life.
