The switch to remote work was nothing new for some. But we can easily say that it was the discovery of the year 2020 for a large majority of people. All this time, you might think that the remote work reflex has become natural for many. Some are even probably convinced that being able to run a machine while putting together a results report is really too cool. But are they still effective? A quick overview of the question in 5 points;
Step 1: Learn to get organized
Be careful, being organized does not mean making a to-do list as long as you can. Nor is it rolling up our sleeves at 8 am only to emerge at 8 pm with the feeling of being rubbish, because we spent the day juggling emails and phone calls without moving the “real” work forward. Being organized while working from home means knowing how to set a schedule. To be effective, a first rule is to know how to prioritize and sequence the working day according to the moments when you are most concentrated. What is the most important task to do today? For example, a rule that many organizational coaches hear is the following: The first 60 to 90 minutes of the day should be devoted to the most important task. It is after and only after that you can open your email box and start putting out fires. Finally, being organized also means creating a routine, like the one you would have if you got up every morning to go to the office, in order to prepare the brain to go into work mode. It is necessary to recreate the preparation and decompression “chambers” that normally exist thanks to transport.
-> What actions should be put in place?
1 - List the priorities for the day or week of work, then sequence the day accordingly.
2 - Create a work routine, from waking up to the moment of “getting off” work.
Step 2: Set up a workspace
Teleworking from the back of the sofa or worse, from the bed is already the door open to back problems. And then the chances are very high that the brain will beg us to do what we usually do at the back of the couch: Netflix or Instagram sessions. Without going to that extreme, The simple fact of working on your laptop on the kitchen table can be deleterious if the workstation is not optimized for working all day. Yes, office chairs that are unsightly at work often have a function: they are ergonomic, to allow you to spend long hours sitting without massacring your back. It is possible to set up a workstation that respects major ergonomic rules at home. Beyond ergonomic issues, pushing the mess on the table to put your PC down does not create optimal working conditions, even if some claim to love working in chaos.
-> What actions should be put in place?
1 - Demarcate and organize your workspace
2 - Install an ergonomic workstation to avoid physical fatigue
Step 3: Don't mix professional and personal life
One of the great dangers of teleworking is that of letting the pro overflow the personal, or the other way around. At the same time, when working from home, it is a bit more difficult to set boundaries between the two. In recent months, the question of work-life balance has come up particularly in the context of teleworking. Between those who forget the concept of the right to disconnect, those who do more for fear that we think they are not working, those who work all day in their pajamas... In a context of teleworking, we quickly erase borders and cause a situation called “blurring”. To avoid falling into the trap, It is important to frame how remote working takes up time during the day. For example, there is no question of replacing the 2 hours of transport saved per day by additional work. Rather, it is better to give them to the preparation and decompression times that transport usually gives us.
-> What actions should be put in place?
1 - Structure the day with time slots dedicated to work and others for personal life
2 - Remove all sources of distraction from personal life during work time and turn off professional notifications once work is done.
Step 4: stay in touch
The problem with telecommuting is that You can quickly develop bad habits that have a negative impact on social life. We have those who enjoy being “finally” quiet and completely cut themselves off from the work collective. But there are also those who are losing their footing, precisely because the lack of communication makes them feel left out and no longer part of the group. The need for teamwork is a point that has come up numerous times in recent months in discussions about the quality of life at work. Moreover, a training plan also improves if it uses social learning! Human beings need a social life in general. But in the work in particular, It is important to have these small informal moments of exchange, like those at the coffee machine or even during the lunch break. They allow you to recharge the batteries and to be more efficient when you get back to it. It is therefore important to create moments of exchange that are both formal and informal when working from home.
-> What actions should be put in place?
1 - Organize meeting times in consultation with employees. Beware of “Reunionism”, which is counterproductive!
2 - Organize informal moments, such as a coffee break or a shared video lunch
Step 5: train!
As with anything new, no one knows everything, as much as we would love to. Some, very lucky people, know instinctively what is good and what is not good to do when they are working from home. Besides, nothing seems to shake them. They are productive regardless of the work context. Rest assured, these people are not the majority. Learning to become effective while working from home requires training above all. Some companies had this good idea to offer remote working training for their employees. For others, auto-training is a reflex to take. There are multiple e-learning solutions for this. To train yourself to be effective at home, there is no need to impose 20 hours of training in front of a screen. Solutions like the Mobile learning allow micro-modules to be designed and monitored on demand, to answer specific questions. How to manage your time, learn to be efficient, how to set up your workstation at home... the list is long.
-> What actions should be put in place?
1 - Identify all the points of friction in the work and identify the questions that correspond to them
2 - Give priority to training in the form of microlearning, which makes it possible to meet everyone according to their needs
