HOW TO WORK AT HOME?

Due to the challenging situations in Qatar right now, my wife is currently on a “work-at-home” mode which is a blessing in disguise since schools are also closed and our daughter is left alone in her room (with minimal supervision from my brother and our housemates). In cases like this, most people may find working at home very advantageous, while others may also see potential drawbacks if not properly implemented. Here are some of the helpful tips for a productive and efficient work-at-home setup.

Designate a proper work area with proper equipment.

Working at home is one of the most efficient approaches in reducing people’s interaction and traffic especially in the midst of the deadly health crisis (from mass transportation, office premises, and public places). Also, working at home will significantly reduce utility expenses of the companies. But the question lies on how effective the system is on delivering the expected output and performance.

This being said, work at home can’t just be done anywhere in the house. The call of bed and our favorite TV series might just be too strong to resist, and we don’t want to leave anything to chances. The kids might take up most of our time, so parents should be able to manage to give them activities that will make them busy and productive, too. Here are some of our recommendations:

1. Find a suitable work station where you can comfortably perform your duties, even attend calls, or web conference without any distractions or noise. It could be a place in your living area or a corner of your bedroom.
2. Gather the necessary equipment and make it easily accessible within the work station. Check the internet signal, phone connections, laptop configuration, printer setups, and other requirements to ensure uninterrupted work.
3. Make it feel it like a virtual office inside your home. Decorate it. Put flowers on it (optional though). Make it a place you are excited to visit every day.
4. Keep it safe and secure. Most especially, orient your housemates about this setup. Kids shouldn’t play on it and other members of the family are not allowed to use any of the equipment without your knowledge (for security purposes).

Set a time and system of work.

With usual office timings being violated by latecomers or on the other end of the rope, some employees having to work late because of workload, a proper system must be implemented by understanding expectations, priorities, and directions. Some companies would evaluate their employees working at home based on output (The Result-Oriented Approach, especially with sales operations) or by how they observe the procedures (The Process-Oriented Approach, usually followed by customer service or call center companies). The choice relies mainly on your organization’s nature of operations. Here are our suggestions:

1. Since working at home is not the same as getting a vacation, get up the same time you are going to work. Work at home with the mindset of going to your virtual office.
2. You don’t necessarily have to dress up properly, but dress comfortably that you can work efficiently and ready to receive video calls anytime.
3. Take breaks when there’s nothing to do anymore. Enjoy the main advantage of working-at-home where other household chores can be juggled during your free time. When goals are achieved for the day, the work schedule can be relatively shorter than your regular working hours.

Establish progress monitoring and reporting system.

At the end of the day, the main objective is to keep your office system working efficiently while doing it remotely. Expectations should properly laid out by the management which will be followed the employees on a daily basis. At the end of the day, compensation and salaries and still based on performance and work done.

OTHER REFERENCES:

Work from Home Policy Sample

https://resources.workable.com/work-from-home-company-policy

5 Steps to Setting Up an Effective Work From Home Policy

https://www.timesheets.com/blog/2017/10/work-from-home-policy/

Working from Home 101: The Complete Guide to Remote Work [+Infographic]

https://blog.cake.hr/working-home-complete-guide-remote-work/

The 10 rules found in every good remote work policy

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-10-rules-found-in-every-good-remote-work-policy/

Brief Introduction to Result-Oriented & Process-Oriented Approach

https://www.guide2write.com/brief-introduction-to-result-oriented-process-oriented-approach/