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How to Work from Home Like a Boss

Written By: Tanya Sawhney Working from home tips

People from around the world are keeping the team culture alive by working remotely.

Social distancing regulations to combat the coronavirus pandemic have forced millions of workers across the globe to work remotely for the foreseeable future. Usually bound by dress codes and expectations in the office, millions of office goers are trading business trousers for comfort-first attire like sweatpants and hoodies. Employees are having to navigate new ways of connecting with colleagues they no longer see in-person every day. 

So, how do you be more efficient when it comes to working from home?


1 | Create a Productive Workspace Working from home tips

If you don’t have a home office, do as much as you can to create an ad hoc workspace. “Not having a well-equipped home office space while working from home can cause a temporary decrease in productivity until you get used to it,” says Amit Kumar Yadav, a software engineer at Microsoft. “Even though a lot of meaningful collaborations come from spontaneous hallway meetings, I feel that public workspace can be distracting. This newly adopted work setting did feel a little uncomfortable and inefficient at first, but it has started to grow on me—which is surprisingly a good unexpected change.”


2 | Communicate Clearly  Working from home tips

It is crucial that you communicate (over communicate if necessary!). No one ever expects you to be in front of your computer at all times, but the key is to stay connected with the team. Conversations that might have happened across a few cubicles are now online. “The silver lining in this environment is that working from home has kept me on-task and focused on what’s in front of me,” says Todd Kimmell, a team manager at a La Jolla based company who does daily virtual interactions with his team.


3 | Find What Works for You 

“Working within the confines of video chats and text based messaging, conversation feels more deliberate and direct. There’s an added layer of efficiency that didn’t exist previously when discussing lesser topics or even personal matters,” Kimmell says. Zoom and Skype are efficient platforms for video conferencing. If your company doesn’t need to have face-to-face interaction each day, Slack and Google Hangouts will suffice for messaging your team. 


4 | Stay Sane 

Taking frequent breaks, playing with your pets or children, getting a breath of fresh air and moving your body are all important and useful ways to stay grounded. You also don’t need to start working the second you wake up. Take a moment to yourself, make a cup of coffee and create a routine that works best for you.

We are all in this together and the most important thing to remember is your own well being. Working from home can be isolating for those of us who haven’t done it regularly, especially with no end date in sight.