15 Tips for Employers to Ensure Productivity in Employees Working from Home

15 Tips for Employers to Ensure Productivity in Employees Working from Home

           Due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, more workers had to start working from home. It was a safety precaution since work would not stop and no one knew how long the pandemic would last. And since it was a sudden move, organizations and workers didn’t have time to prepare for remote work. Companies had to think of the best ways to transition processes and culture to online.

 However, working from home has its challenges. When working from home, you have to determine when and where to work and create a boundary between work and personal life. Despite promoting flexibility to work, there are many distractions when working from home.

As a manager, you should come up with new and better ways that increase the productivity of workers. In this post, I will share some tips and tactics you can apply to ensure your employee remain productive while working from home. 

Create a Home Office

Creating a home office specifically for work increases your productivity. It might seem comfortable to work from bed or your favorite sofa at first but your back and shoulders will ache and interfere with your work. Choose a separate room to create your home office. Set up a desk and a chair to help you maintain good posture. This helps you create a difference between working and relaxing. It becomes easier to set boundaries between home and work life. 

Create a Morning or Evening Routine

Create a routine that guides you to start working rather than deciding to start work at a certain time. A routine is more powerful at helping you get started. However, working from home is not the same for everyone. You should look for a habit that you have and start your work after it. For example, making a cup of coffee, brushing your teeth, or returning home from a walk. A morning routine indicates you are about to start working.

Start the Day by Getting Ready to Work

When working from home, there is no pressure to get ready to work. However, it’s good to change pajamas, dress, and maintain usual hygiene. Getting ready in the morning helps you adopt a professional mindset and signals that your working day is about to start. Dressing up for work gives you a reason to work and keeps you alert throughout the day.

Create Your Suitable Schedule

A schedule helps you manage workload, complete tasks on time, and decide if you can take more work. Each person has their biological rhythm, known as chronotype, which is informed by genes, age, and environment. It determines when you feel most awake, ready to wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night. With your flexible working offers and chronotype, create a schedule that is effective and suits the needs of your internal clock.       

Create a To-Do List

Working from home requires you to account for every minute. Scheduling your work in order of priority can help you. A To-do list allows you to track your progress. Designing the list is per your preference. But, since you know your most productive hours, critical tasks should be the highest priority and should be worked on first. Your list should also reflect your goals.   

Maintain Regular Hours

When working from home, most of the time ensure you set a schedule that you can stick to. A schedule acts as a clear guideline for time to work and when to call it a day. It helps you maintain a work-life balance. Since homework allows for flexibility, if you extend your day or start early, be sure to end earlier or sleep in a bit more to make up for it.   

Reduce Distractions

When working from home, distractions will always be there. While you can’t control all distractions, you should look at things that you can control. To overcome distractions, allocate certain time to do housework. Additionally, it is good to ensure that you clean your workspace before working time. You might be tempted to switch on the TV or listen to music. However, some music can boost your mood. On top of overcoming distractions, also try to discover what boosts your productivity.

Turn Off Social Media

Working from home means spending more time on devices. Social media use is one popular source of distraction. Increased use of social media can become addictive if you don’t set boundaries to limit yourself. To not lose time to social media, log out your accounts and turn off notifications during work from both your mobile device and computer.   

Set Boundaries with Your Household

For your family members and friends, they can easily forget that you’re not just at home but also at work. Hold a conversation with your household in advance to inform them of your working hours. This helps to maintain a healthy relationship and reduce disruptions. While creating arrangements and time restrictions necessary for you, remember you need everyone’s cooperation to succeed in working from home. 

Schedule Breaks

Sitting constantly in one place to work can drain your brain muscle. Working time requires breaks so ensure you set time for breaks. Your breaks should have definite intervals. Keep yourself active by walking around during your breaks or maybe listening to music.

The brain needs breaks to avoid fatigue and maximize productivity and creativity. When planning for breaks, ensure you specify the time assigned for breaks. Scheduling adequate breaks help you stay productive and feel a sense of achievement at the end of the day.  

Install Quality Technology

To work from home, you need good internet connectivity. You also need a good working system that won’t break down and disrupt your work. Invest in a fine working device with the latest version of the processor and operating system. Poor internet connection or an outdated system can be frustrating, embarrassing, and can make you miss out on important discussions.

Keep Contact with Office and Colleagues

When working from home, your team members work differently. Since your work schedules are not the same, communication is the key to sharing information and proceeding together. Your manager should set how often one is supposed to check in and deliver their progress to everyone. Lack of communication can make one feel disconnected from work. 

Set Goals

Setting goals ensures you achieve your targets at work and boosts your productivity. You can fix your goals with your colleagues and check in with them on the progress. Ensure you communicate and report on the progress and the challenges you are facing to achieve your goals. This way, you encourage and help each other to achieve goals by resolving issues and challenges. 

Do Regular Exercises

Doing regular exercises helps you remain proactive and increases your performance at work. Exercise benefits both your personal and professional life. Exercising increases blood flow to the brain sharpening it and keeping you alert. It also boosts your happiness and interest levels hence boosting your productivity at work. In addition, you maintain a great posture. 

Routine to End Working Day

Since you are at home, there is no journey home to end the working day. To stay productive and maintain your well-being, you need rest. This calls for you to introduce a short routine to mark the end of your working day. For instance, you can review and update your to-do list, check the schedule for tomorrow, say goodbye to your colleagues, and tidy your working space. It helps you feel more relaxed and prepared for the next day.    

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