With the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people have shifted to working from home. The web is full of articles with advice for those who are getting used to a new environment, away from their regular office. Since its founding 10 years ago, Alter Agents has had a formal flexible work policy, which we call the “Ultimate Agency”, allowing our employees to work from home as often as they wish. This means we can tap into our decade of collective knowledge on how to make this work, and in his latest article for Greenbook Mike uses his own experiences and that of our other employees to provide on-the-ground tips.

His seven tips include: 

1. Embrace Technology – “Video chat is an invaluable tool for ensuring that sharing and collaboration continue while the team is physically separate. Depending on your vendors, video chat tools may already be built into your communications platforms.”
2. Find the Right Tools – “There are countless free and affordable platforms to help you with scheduling, document sharing, and communication.”
3. Stay Connected, Formally and Informally – “This may seem obvious, but working from home creates distance between employees… Don’t be afraid to schedule time for both formal meetings and more informal opportunities to touch base.” 
4. Get Ready for Your Day – “Treat your workday like a workday.” Maintain your normal morning routine.
5. Make a Work Space – “It’s important to designate a space for work, away from where you typically relax.” 
6. Set Boundaries – “The transition to working from home can make it easy for boundaries between your work and personal life to break down… Setting boundaries around your availability to your co-workers is also important.”
7. Take Advantage of Your Time – “…you have no commute and you’re in your own space. Take advantage of both.” 

Perhaps some, or all, of these tips will help you feel better prepared as you tackle working from home. Keep in mind that fear of managing yourself, or a team, successfully from home is a common worry. Mike concludes his article by saying, “With a little planning and the right tools, you can ensure that the transition is seamless, and perhaps decide to make your workplace a little more flexible on a permanent basis.”

For the complete article visit: https://greenbookblog.org/market-research-news/how-to-work-from-home-tips-and-tricks-from-a-flexible-workplace/