Moving from the Office to Home: What Changes When You Work Remotely?
You’ve just finished adding the last coat of paint to your home office, your desk is set-up, and your computer is humming quietly, ready to start work. With all the excitement and chaos that follows a shift in where you do your work, you may not have had time to consider just how much your daily work life is about to change.
There are six major factors that change drastically when you move your work from the office to a home office.
There are six major factors that change drastically when you move your work from the office to a home office.
Communicating with Your Team
Communication with people you work with becomes more intentional. It’s easy in an office to be talking regularly throughout the day, catching up by the kettle, or over lunch. When you work remotely, it takes a dedicated call, message, or video meeting to speak to your team. That kind of intentionality means communication is more directed, which has both benefits and drawbacks: Benefits- Less ‘fluff’: When you talk to colleagues, it’s usually focused on the work itself, whether it’s helping someone complete their project, or asking for help/guidance on your own work.
- Fewer hours wasted: Ever started work, only to be interrupted by someone looking to talk? You look back at your clock to see thirty to forty-five minutes have passed. That’s a lot of potential productivity down the drain. Working from home all but removes these kinds of interruptions, particularly if you’re clear on letting colleagues know when you are and aren’t available for a call or conversation.
- More isolated: While your communication becomes more focused and less invasive, it also means you don’t get as much face-time with people, missing out on those little conversations that help you develop friendships and bonds with others in your team.
Distractions Change
Related to changes in communication, how you’re distracted changes. The people gossiping in the office, drawing you into hour-long conversations, superfluous meetings, and similar distractions are gone. Replacing them, is everything in your home; pets, the TV, family, video games, books, and more. You’re surrounded by your own belongings, likely things you care about and have an interest in. Self-motivation is important when working from home; without it, your productivity drops as you drift from checking your emails to switching the TV on, to wondering what’s in your fridge. It takes concerted effort to be productive at home, so make sure you optimise your home environment for maximum efficiency. Read our article on how to avoid the worst work-from-home habits here: (LINK)No Commuting
Waking up at 7am to shower, get dressed, and hop in the car for your thirty-minute commute is now a thing of the past. Your commute is now a short trip to your desk across the hall or downstairs, leaving you plenty of time to spend time with your family in the morning, walk the dog, grab a coffee and clear your inbox before the day begins. You’ll find you have significantly more time to complete work, and for many remote works, working in the morning is when they’re most productive, meaning that hour of commuting you save each morning could be when you get the most work done from now on.The Way You Work Changes: Flexible Schedule
Depending on how your place of work sets the rules of working remotely, you’ll see more freedom in how you approach your work. Have a dentist’s appointment this afternoon? Children want to spend some time with you this morning? Company permitting, you’re able to now set when you work, defining your deadlines and dictating what gets done when throughout the day.Your Dress Code
Office attire isn’t typically the most comfortable clothing to wear every day, and it takes time to look good every time you step outside the front door. Now that you work from home, there’s no need to make sure your hair is well-groomed or that your tie is straight; since the only person you’re likely to see all day is you, you can relax in home-wear and enjoy the comforts of working from home. The exception of course is any meetings where you’re expected to present a professional appearance, particularly to clients. Know when those types of meetings are coming up so you can prepare yourself accordingly.Your Environment
The most obvious factor that changes is your surroundings. Gone are the cubicles, shared kitchen, and meeting rooms. Everything that surrounds you now you own, and have likely placed there intentionally. While such familiar surroundings can present a wealth of distractions, it can also put you at ease, knowing you don’t have to keep your home office spotless all the time, or don’t need to worry about anyone dropping by your cubicle to pull your attention away from that project that’s due by the end of the day. Working from home typically flips working life on its head for a little while, and it may take you some time to adjust. But with 51% of remote workers stating that no amount of money would get them back into an office, and 95% encouraging others to leave the office and work from home (Yonder), working remotely could see your job satisfaction skyrocket.
Speaking of your environment, there’s no need to endure the off-white dated systems of yester-year, in your office and especially at home. Browse ASUS and see how our products can change the way you work: ASUS - Stay Connected
