The Do’s and Don’ts of Working from Home

Whether you are working from home due to the social distancing norms related to the novel Coronavirus or due to other reasons; it is an unquestionable fact that there’s a massive increase in the proportion of the workforce that’s working from home and this will be the new normal.

It’s also important to acknowledge that working from home in the first place is a luxury, full stop. Too many people don’t even have that option, which is especially worrying in a time of precarious health care and rapidly spreading disease.

The following compiled tips and advice will help you ace working from home:

1. Stick to some semblance of your original routine. For example, if you must report at 9.00, don’t wake up at 8:45. Give yourself a good time before you start to work to wake yourself up, and have a coffee especially if you aren’t a morning person. Stick to whatever your morning routine entails when you actually do go into the office – you’re breaking the cardinal rule of working from home: Set boundaries.
2. If you don’t get ready for the day, your day never really starts. Instead of working from home, you’re just at home, with the occasional work check-in. Dress like you are going to the office. By that, we mean dress in comfortable work clothes and not pajamas.
3. Set up your workspace at home in a well-lit room and good ventilation. Creating an office environment is important, too. Have a comfortable chair.
4. Document everything. We need to communicate our thought processes and ideas succinctly so that people can build on our work.
5. Set reminders to move and avoid being a couch potato. Take frequent breaks, stretch, or walk – whatever works best for you; get fresh air and disconnect from tech devices for a few minutes.
6. Reminders to take breaks to connect with yourself are just as important as reminders for important calls or tasks.
7. Be positive and don’t be too hard on yourself.

LSME is following and encouraging healthy practices while working from home. We believe in keeping the lines of communication clear and open for our staff and students.