How to work from home professionally
It takes discipline and the right mindset to be successful in remote work. After all, work-from-home is still work; it’s not a vacation. You need to be productive as if you’re still in the office. To position yourself for successfully working from home, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I have a dedicated work space?
- Are my technology and tools acceptable for the job?
- What best practices can I implement to make working from home seamless to my team and clients?
Location! Location! Location!
Dedicated home office space is ideal, but you can work just as effectively in a quiet area of your home, free from distractions and interruptions. A comfortable chair and table will suffice if you don’t have a desk.
Toolbox!
A carpenter is not able to effectively do their job without a hammer, wrench, or tape measure. A surgeon can’t operate without protective protection equipment, scalpels, and bandages. As a business professional you need a reliable computer, stable internet connection, phone, headset, and access to cloud storage for your files.
Coming soon…. Recommendations for our favorite work from home tools.
Position yourself for success!
Workers who have held traditional roles of reporting to a brick-and-mortar office may experience a bit of a culture shock when working from home.
Participating in audio and video conference calls can be stressful if the dog is barking, children are laughing, and your housemate chooses to fire up the blender at the exact moment you have to present to your team.
Follow the tips below to ease some of the tension while attending virtual meetings.
- Test your audio and/or video before a scheduled meeting
- Join the audio or video bridge early
- If you’re not speaking, mute your microphone
Treat a virtual meeting like any other face-to-face meeting as a business professional
