Having worked from home for the past year, here are a few pointers to make this an easier and hopefully more productive change.

To be productive, you need to be professional. The first step is deciding where you will base yourself. You need a designated space to work from. Try not to be the one that balances their laptop on their knees on the sofa or sits in bed and attempts to work.

If you have a spare room, make that your office but be mindful of the reach and strength of your WIFI signal. If you can hardwire your computer to your hub. This should improve speed and reduce lagging. If your hub is in a different room, it is worth investing in a long USB cable. These can be picked up for a few pounds online.

If you don’t have a spare room, designate an area to be your workplace and let everyone know.

It is important to have a designated workspace so you can switch into work mode and allows those living with you to know when you are working.

Test your internet speed to ensure it is sufficient. Review your internet contract and checking the speed on www.speedtest.net. If the speed is too low, speak to your provider and move to a faster package.

With a dedicated workspace where you can concentrate and focus, it becomes easier to unlock the benefits of remote work. Last year, in a survey of 7000 employees carried out by FlexJobs, 65% of respondents said they’re more productive working from home, citing benefits like fewer interruptions from colleagues, minimal office politics and reduced stress from commuting.

Using your personal computer/laptop for work can be problematic. If you need to download work programmes / apps onto an older computer, it may compromise the speed and functionality of your machine. Ideally your employer should provide you with a work computer and ensure that IT support is adequately set up to support you at home.

Extra costs, such as phone bills and printing should outlined as soon as possible and should be part of any working from home agreement.

If you are using a laptop, invest in a mouse. A small investment to save a lot of hassle.

It is important to treat working from home as working from the office. Don’t get up late and log on whilst in your pyjamas with a slice of toast in your mouth. Get into work mode.

When you wake up, shower and dress as if you are going to work. Have a proper breakfast and prepare for the day ahead. 

Tell your family / house mates when you are starting to work to minimise disruptions. 

Preparation is the key to working from home. Do you have the files / paperwork that you need? Can you access system databases? Do you have a copy of colleagues’ phone number / extensions? Do you have clients contact details? Does IT support cover working from home?

Make a list of what you need to have and be able to do and ensure that you have it and can do it.

Speak to your manager, make it clear what you are able and not able to do and plan around the nots. 

Tell your clients / contacts that you are still working and how to contact you. Find out which of your clients / contact is still working.

At the end of the day, prepare a “to do list” for the next day. Break this into urgent and non-urgent and work through it, removing and adding jobs as the day progresses. 

It is important to manage your and works expectations. Do what you can and don’t keep any problems to yourself.

If you’re a manager, it’s on you to provide clear communication and it’s crucial to keep up team spirits. 

It’s common for staff to be stressed out, depressed or scared with the current situation. If you’re a manager, acknowledge and understand staffs stress and difficulties.

If technology allows, set up morning team conference calls. Keep everyone abreast of work situation. 

Share success stories, run fun competitions (healthiest looking lunch, best working from home outfit), keep people’s spirits up.

Make regular 1-2-1 contact with your team and see how they are feeling and handling the situation.

Your job is to be a cheerleader for the team, which is key if people end up working from home for more than a few weeks, which is a possibility.

Your normal commute to work is exercise in itself. Missing that walk to the train/bus/office and back, can see the pounds quickly pile on.

Wake at your normal time and before starting work do some exercises or go for a walk around the block. Getting your blood flowing and some air in your lungs is important to your health and wellbeing. 

Don’t work through your lunchbreak or eat from your desk. Spend this time to decompress, read a book listen to some music, if you can, go for a walk. 

Watch what you are eating as you are not burning off as many calories as normal.

If you can, borrow or invest in a proper work chair so you don’t end up with back pain.

Keep in contact with colleagues. A quick call / skype conversation can be a real boost to your and their spirits and reminds you that it’s not just you in this situation. Ask how they are feeling and keep an eye on their mental health too.

It is easy to go stir crazy by staying indoors 24/7 so make sure you have variety in your working and living day.

Don’t forget, your employer has a duty of care for staff. The requirements of the health and safety legislation apply to homeworkers too. Speak to HR to see what support they can provide for this period of homeworking.

This is a difficult time for children too. If schools close, children will struggle more that we will. A child’s days are more structured than ours and not being able to go out and play can result in a ball of energy with no release. 

Furthermore, spending more time with mum and/or dad at home can be a novel change and they may want to spend time with you as they normally wouldn’t be able to do.

Try to enjoy this extra time with your children rather than see them as a distraction to your work. Explain that you need to work but make time to read or play with them. Plan some quick easy things to do, prepare lunch together, do exercise together before work, go to the park after work, enjoy your children.

Spending 24/7 with your partner can also be difficult so be mindful to their mental health too. Make them lunch, go for walks together, enjoy your extra time together.

This period of enforced working from home may become the start of regular home working for many in the working population. The benefits of less commuting, spending more time with family and loved ones and getting more done could provide you with an improved future work life balance.

We don’t know how long this situation will last so it is important to plan and prepare as much as possible but remember there are many people that don’t have this opportunity and that have / may lose their jobs and working from home is better than not working at all.