During these uncertain times, many of us are working from home, the EG team included. Teleworking should be a great way to be more productive, but the underlying stressors and unknowns can make it difficult to truly be successful. We are sharing our five best practices we’ve developed to be successful while working remotely.

Stick to a Routine

Our first remote work success tip is sticking to a routine. For example, if you normally get up for work at 7:00 am, make sure you’re still waking up generally around the same time so you can follow your regular schedule. If you take a lunch break, make sure you still schedule one for yourself. It’s important to take a break from your work during the day to prevent burnout. Taking a break will also help clear your mind and leave you feeling refreshed for the remainder of the day.

Sticking to a routine also helps stabilize your mental health. With all the uncertainty floating around, having some constants in your life, like your routine, can help serve as an anchor for your well-being.

You Must Embrace Digital

When face-to-face is no longer an option, we have to learn to embrace digital technology. It’s no secret that Zoom has become the go-to platform for video meetings. Video meetings are an essential tool for working remotely because it allows you to see your team. Research shows that up to 93% of communication is nonverbal. So while phone calls are great, they cannot make up all of your meetings and communications as video conferencing allows you to pick up on your team’s non-verbal cues.

Some additional tips for embracing digital is to use a headset or earbuds while having meetings. This will allow you to hear and be heard more clearly over just using your computer audio. We also recommend using a light to illuminate your face so your team can see you well. This light doesn’t have to be expensive, a simple lamp you already have will work just as well.

Over Communicate with Your Team

People are stressed and scared right now, so over-communicating with your team is another key to success while working from home. Leaders must use this time of uncertainty to be transparent and honest with their employees, and employees also need to be communicating with their leaders and team. Stressed and scared employees won’t be able to give their best efforts to their work because they’ll be nervous about their job security or what the future holds.

Leaders should do all they can to over-communicate the state of the business and what lies ahead in the foreseeable future. Employees should be over-communicating their list of tasks, their accomplishments, and their emotions with their managers. The more aligned your team is, the more productive your organization will be.

You Should Dress for Success

It can be tempting to want to wear your pajamas or sweats all day while working remotely, but we’ve found a best practice is to dress for success. Do your best to wear clothing that supports productivity. This means getting dressed and ready in the morning instead of slugging to your workspace in the pajamas you wore the night before. Dressing for success puts you in the mindset of working. While you don’t need to wear a full suit or be business professional, you’ll want to wear something that is comfortable but not what you’ll wear to bed later.

Know When to Step Away

Our final best practice for working remotely is to know when it’s time to step away. It’s easy to be “always on” while working from home, but you have to set boundaries for yourself to power down, just as you would if you were at the office.

It’s important to have a set time to step away at the end of the day, to help, you might want to set “do not disturb” settings on your email or if your team is using an instant message platform like Slack or Google Chat. It also helps to move your equipment and computer into a different room so you won’t be tempted to log back on. While it’s fine to still check your email time and again, by not setting boundaries, you’re likely to burnout quickly.

Working remotely has become the new normal for most of us and will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future. Make working from home successful by following these five best practices.

About EG Workforce Solutions

We’ve been in this business for decades and have developed a deep network of professional connections. Whether they’re companies looking for talent, job seekers looking for work, or an up-and-coming store in need of some temporary help, we know the right people to bridge the gap between the hiring and the hired.

But what’s more, we get to know people. From employers hiring to candidates looking, we take the time to listen and learn. We hear your likes, talents, and needs. We gain an understanding, and with it, we’re able to facilitate lasting relationships between businesses and people.