COVID19 – Make remote working WORK for you.

It’s safe to say, that for most of us this remote working from home palaver is a relatively new experience. Whether it’s rolling out of bed at 8:45 am, eating your 2^nd lunch by 11:30 am or finding a new comfy spot in your house to work from, it all seems a tad odd.

If the UK government follows the precautionary steps China took to ensure the safety of their citizens, we could find ourselves in lockdown and working from home for a minimum of two months.

If you are fortunate enough to be an employee of a company which can remain open whilst the COVID19 lockdown takes place, you need to consider how you will manage to remain both mentally and physically fit whilst working remotely from home.

I’m sure for most staff (without children) the thought of getting a chance to work from home is a welcomed one. Finally, we will not have to make a less than average lunch the night before, make awkward eye contact on public transport, compete with people in the toilets on how long either of us can wash our hands for and most importantly NO MORE having to do an awkward half jog-walk when someone holds a door open for you at the end of the corridor.

You may feel glad to get rid of these painful and awkward encounters, but for how long do you think you can last cooped up in your makeshift office?

The team at oneHR have recently closed up the office and set up our remote working stations at home. We thought it would be a great time to share some tips and tricks we have in place to ensure we provide our usual stellar service whilst keeping our mental and physical health in tiptop shape.

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Remote working & your physical health

• Talk & Walk – If you are fortunate enough to be remote working, the majority of your time will be spent hammering at a keyboard. Although if you do have the opportunity to take a call, why not make the effort to go for a small walk around the house. This could be as simple as popping downstairs for a water refill or doing a lap of the garden. Changing your scenery helps with remaining motivated and the extra blood flow from getting up and about will keep you awake, engaged and concentrated with the task ahead.
• Biscuits aren’t healthy – I’m sure you’re aware that one of the easiest things to do is to go through a full packet of biscuits whilst at your desk. It’s safe to say this temptation is much greater whilst working from home. The next time you do a snack shop make sure to include some healthy alternatives!
• Schedule workouts – It’s important to get the blood flowing whilst working from home. Your indoor workouts don’t need to be making you break a sweat, but it doesn’t hurt to do a few press-ups or do a lap of the house every hour or two.

Remote Working & remaining motivated, organised & keeping up with tasks/deadlines.

• Start your day right – With very little accountability at home it is easy to fall into bad habits. Whether that is waking up 5 minutes before you start working, not getting properly dressed or not having a healthy breakfast. Beginning your day on a negative note will set the tone for the rest of the day. Make sure to carry out a similar routine to what you would do if you had to go into the office, this will help you to get yourself into the working mindset.
• Workable workspace – Is you’re back hurting? Legs cramped? Not enough desk space? You may have taken for granted how comfy your office desk was. The UK could worryingly be in lockdown for the foreseeable future. It is vital you have a comfy and clean workspace to help you remain productive and motivated.

Remote working & your mental health

• ‘Always On Mindset’ – If the UK goes into full lockdown, we could end up being confined to our house for an awfully long time. By not being able to escape your remote office you may find it difficult to switch off from work. It is important to establish working hour boundaries, otherwise, you will risk burning out.
• Lonely & Isolated – Whilst in the office it often feels like you can’t get a moment to yourself. Obviously this is quite the opposite whilst working from home. There is no one to tell you about their weekend, no one to complain about how hot or cold it is and worst of all no one to offer to make you a brew. Although whilst in lockdown we cannot physically see each other, there are plenty of resources which can keep you and the rest of the business connected. At oneHR, we have been using Microsoft Teams to stay in touch which allows for group video calling and IM chat. There are plenty of other options like Skype, Discord, Zoom and Google Hangouts.

E: info@onehrsoftware.com

P: +(44) 843 509 6857

Twitter: @oneHR_