Recent events have completely revolutionised our world of work and our hitherto accepted traditions for social connections. However, for most people working from home can be challenging; especially if you are struggling to find an appropriate work space in your home; are worried about your internet connections dropping in and out (ergo looking like a frozen zombie half the time!) and missing those gossip filled lunch breaks with your colleagues. All which contribute to your mental wellbeing…

So! in order to help make your remote working experience as pain free as possible, here are  seven top tips on what you can do to ensure that you can effectively conduct your work from the comfort of your home and keep social connections going with your favourite people!

Setting up your work-space

1. Camera and audio quality are important! It’s likely that your laptop will already have built-in camera and audio, however, sometimes the audio may be affected if the sound is played aloud and so you may have to resort to wearing earphones during online meetings. Always have these ready on the go or invest in some good quality audio software. Your employer may subsidise your investment. You never know, if you don’t ask you don’t get…
2. Ensure that your internet connection is stable! Invest with a good quality broadband service provider and ask if your employer is willing to subsidise your subscription fees for upgrading to a more suitable broadband provider in order to effectively carry out your work-related duties. The usual home networks aren’t usually able to take many devices at once, especially if your work is Gigabyte heavy (unlike office broadband networks which are designed for heavy duty downloading, uploading etc.). You could also put in place a rota or schedule of your work times at home so that those who are also using the same internet connection in your home know when to wait until your meeting finishes before they start streaming their favourite shows or downloading the latest games! Communication is the key here…
3. Source a good background- either virtual or real! It’s all well and good putting on a smart shirt and styling your hair before your online meeting, but just because those on the screen cannot see your bright pink pyjama bottoms, doesn’t mean that they also cannot see your messy room in the background. Try to sit with your back facing a wall (this often works best when sitting at a dining table) alternatively, you could set up a temporary desk and chair in front of a closed door – this allows those that you’re engaging with to focus on you, and not play ‘I spy’ with the objects behind you. Also be acutely of your surroundings at all times and avoid situations that could cause the utmost professional embarrassment! Like forgetting you are on video camera and using the loo at the same time! (that really happened! And it went viral on social media) Most remote conferencing applications allow you to temporarily black out your video camera or take a visual/audio break from the meeting whilst keeping the audio on for you to hear proceedings.

Break-time

4. Take regular breaks! Desk or Armchair Yoga is amazing! Working in an office often means strict lunch breaks, but not if you’re working from home. It’s very easy to lose your structure and discipline. So, it’s important to manage your time and workload efficiently, so that you can still execute your work projects whilst also taking regular five-minute breaks – either to stretch your legs, check on the kids or make yourself a quick cup of tea. Doing this allows you to avoid occupational health issues such as repetitive strain syndrome or eye, back and neck problems. At home you are more likely to ignore the ergo dynamics you wouldn’t ignore at work because you are in your comfort zone.
5. Make use of your one opportunity to exercise per day! Exercising and watching same light-hearted entertainment can be good for your mental health. During these stressful times, some find it difficult to cope with anxiety if they feel trapped in their homes, and it’s very easy to become so focused with work that you forget to indulge in some self-care or mindfulness. Therefore, going out for a bit of fresh air in open spaces very early in the morning or much later in the evening (when there tends to be less souls out and about) and in any event, making sure you respect the social distancing guidelines at all times; as well as making time to carry out an activity that you enjoy is very important for your mental health. So, out come the collectors train sets and crochet needles that you have stashed away in storage…

Interactive calls and meetings

6. Virtual meetings don’t have to be so black and white! On many online platforms there are different ways to make online meetings more interactive and interesting than they would usually be at the office – just because you’re all stuck at home, doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun! One example of an online platform that allows its participants to be interactive with one another and improve the quality of the meeting is ‘Zoom’. Different ways to make your meetings both more professional and more interesting is through the use of interactive whiteboards, a screen capture that can show the participants of the virtual meeting call whatever you choose to share on your screen; you can even create break out rooms for people to congregate separately on mini projects during the virtual meeting. You can even record the meeting and refer back to it later. Slide shows, Short Sharp videos and Savvy whiteboards are amazing for bringing a virtual meeting to life and breaking up the monotony…
7. Have a virtual lunch (or after work drinks) together! Using online platforms such as ‘Zoom’ works not only for work related meetings; you can (and many people have cottoned on to this) also use it as a platform for hanging out with your colleagues during lunch time or after work. Grab your lunch and turn on the camera, to socialise and eat together, have a quiz night with drinks and nibbles or have a disco party in the kitchen, living room or conservatory… full on with a virtual DJ and all! In no time it will feel just like the good old days when freedom was a luxury we all took for granted (only your sofa surfing skills will be upgraded… seriously); and your social connections will just take on a whole new high!