‘Benefits of the real office’? What, with the two hour commute, the boss breathing down your neck, the aroma of a colleague’s tuna sandwiches all afternoon and the soul destroyingly narrow range of hot drinks? Nah.
Not everyone agrees. Whilst so many elements of home working have been wonderful, and we can’t imagine ever going back to the office full time, many office workers are, in fact, keen to return to the central office space, at least partially.
A study published in Business Leader in March 2021 reported that more than two thirds of respondents were keen to return to the office. That said, the overwhelming majority said they wanted greater flexibility in their hours.
Indeed, since the beginning of the pandemic, businesses around the world have embraced flexible working arrangements which seemed inconceivable pre-covid. Now, many employers recognise that it just makes good business sense to provide flexible working opportunities for their staff.
Many businesses have moved completely to remote working and have said goodbye to their office spaces for good. Others are reducing their office space and will ask employees to come into the office a couple of times a week.
Working from home allows the employee to have more autonomy, self management over their time. It also demonstrates that companies value and trust their employees, while giving them the opportunity to achieve that much coveted ‘work/life balance’ .
That said, not having a workplace outside of the home brings up its share of struggles. Employees might find it hard to stay productive or separate their work and personal lives if everything is done at home.
Should you be keen to combine the productivity and focus of the office with the comfort and convenience of home working, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are 5 of the best ways to enjoy the benefits of the office when working from home.
GET DRESSED
It may seem like a pretty obvious suggestion, but you might be surprised by how many people don’t get fully dressed when they work from home. Full disclosure: we type this whilst wearing a tracksuit.
But if you want to be as focused as possible on your daily tasks, many productivity experts agree that it pays to wear the right clothes to work. While this doesn’t necessarily mean suiting up (although that will make you feel more like you’re at the office), it does perhaps mean giving the pyjamas a miss. Sometimes, the feeling of those comfortable clothes can disrupt a focused mindset, and suddenly, you’re sprawled on the episode watching ‘just one more episode of Friends’.
So, to start the day off right, try to find the best balance between dressing professionally and being comfortable, helping to define work-life boundaries clearly. Equally as important, we think, is to transition back out of your work clothes as soon as the working day is done.
BE ON A WORKDAY VIDEO CALL
Frightening levels of surveillance or a modern way to participate in the ebb and flow of office banter all day? You decide.
Though businesses have been using video conferencing services to conduct meetings for a while now, some have started to have a central video call ‘hub’ turned on all day, for those keen to log on and participate in chatter, more formal conversation and feel more connected to their colleagues.
Of course, once this becomes compulsory, red flags should be raised about your employer, but as an opt-in/opt-out idea, it makes a lot of sense, particularly for those feeling isolated and less engaged with their work whilst working from home.
Having everyone on a video call during the day, or scheduling a certain time of day to do so, helps recreate the experience of being in an office. It might be a little unnerving knowing that all of your colleagues will see you each day, but it’s virtually no different from being in the workplace.
STICK TO STRUCTURED BREAKS
When the sofa is in your eyeline and unadulterated Instagram scrolling just a closed tab away, the temptation to take breaks little and often can be overwhelming. The danger is that the whole day can be consumed by a curious limbo, halfway between working and relaxing but never in a fully focused state of either.
As such, if issues with concentration are afflicting you, it’s vital that you stick to structured breaks to mimic the central office environment as best you can and to mitigate those distractions which are ever present in the home office.
That’s not to say that breaks don’t matter. On the contrary; it’s more important than ever that you make them count. So, take yourself away from your screen, perhaps even grab a few minutes of sunshine, and give your brain and your eyes a rest from working. Eat your lunch in a dedicated space away from your desk, and take your tea breaks there, too!
If you smoke, there’s a danger of smoking more than usual, with many reporting the temptation to break for a smoke has risen since they’ve been working remotely. Some have suggested vaping may be a (relatively speaking) safer alternative.
Experts at the NHS agree, reporting that ‘’A major UK clinical trial published in 2019 found that, when combined with expert face-to-face support, people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking were twice as likely to succeed as people who used other nicotine replacement products, such as patches or gum.’’
RECREATE YOUR OFFICE DESK
Regardless of how big or small your home is, you need to dedicate a space within it that is exclusively for your work. This place will be set up in such a way that draws strict distinctions, both physical and metaphorical, between you and your living space, putting you in a focused working mood as soon as you sit down at your desk. The more you make the area feel like it’s part of the office, the easier your brain should find it to enter working mode. Sitting on the sofa won’t do anything for your concentration levels, nor your back, after all.
Try to recreate your office space as faithfully as possible, even going so far as to change some of the surroundings if you can. Place the same photos of loved ones on your desk as you had at the office (even if you’re enjoying their company in real life during every working day now!), and ensure you have the same technology, such as a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, which makes working at your computer as ergonomically comfortable as possible. And that tuna sandwich which your colleague always used to eat? Why not open a tin and place it on your desk each day to mimic the aroma?
SET SENSIBLE HOURS FOR FLEXIBLE WORKING
People were asking for remote working opportunities long before the pandemic arrived. That’s because they wanted to take advantage of the greater flexibility that such a change allowed, and elements of home working have been wonderful for so many.
It’s true that working outside of the office can make it easier to balance personal chores with job commitments, especially if employers are happy to let you work when you want. However, it’s important not to get too carried away with the flexibility, and allow your work to carry over late into the evening.
If your hours are all over the place, not only will your day lack proper structure, but you won’t necessarily be around at the same time as your colleagues to communicate and collaborate.
Ideally, try to keep to regular working hours as much as possible so that you’re not cut off from colleagues and also not being asked to work for longer than you’re contracted for.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Remote working offers many benefits and for many, a much needed boost to the latter part of the ‘work/life’ balance. That said, for some, focus and concentration have suffered. But by keeping to regular hours, including breaks, and keeping engaged with colleagues from afar, you can enjoy the benefits of both the home office and the central one.