Is WFH A Productive Practice Or Not?
Work From Home, a practice that is currently adopted and implemented by so many organizations. To survive this pandemic, companies with no WFH policies have also accepted this norm. It doesn’t matter if you are a small business or big one with a better finance backup, everyone has accepted WFH as their new normal and new workstation.
WFH is the coin with pros and cons and no one knows what you are going to get. Sometimes it benefits the organization more than the employees or vise versa. According to new research, there are employees leaving jobs just because of a long commute. People don’t want to travel long. So some take it as an advantage and for some, it is a disadvantage.
Also, in this current situation of CoronaVirus (COVID-19) pandemic, everyone is instructed to stay at home to be safe. Work from home always worries employers that this luxury reduces the productivity of their employees. Well, these are some researches showing that remote workers are more productive than in-office workers.
According to a survey and LiveMint article “While the COVID-19 impact can be felt by organisations across sectors, 72 percent of the organisations stated that its impact will be felt beyond six months. Around 70 percent of the organisations believe that the single biggest concern for continued remote working is fall in productivity.”
Take a look at these facts:
- In-Office workers take 18 minutes of breaks while remote workers take 22 minutes.
- On average remote workers work 1.4 more days in a month and 16.8 more days in a year.
- If we exclude lunch, break time, and others, remote workers stay still for only 27 minutes while in-office workers stay ideal for 37 minutes.
But yes, while working from home you also become your own worst enemy. You are free to be yourself, no one is peeping over you, no coworkers to distract you, and most of all, you can wear pyjamas while working.
So, how can you keep your productivity unaffected while working from home?
Get An Early Head Start:
Jumping into your work as soon as you wake up is the best way to start your work from home. Go through all the work and to-do list you are going to cover today. I know moving from your pillow to laptop is kind of a battle but you have to win this one now.
Make a Workstation:
Being ready mentally and physically are totally two different things. You wake up, take a shower, and change clothes to prepare you only physically. Your mind still knows you are in your comfort zone, so it is still not ready to work.
Setup a different area. Try to be on a chair and table. Your bed is not that ideal for working. Make yourself a coffee before starting working. Wear decent clothes, at least on top, so are always prepared for meetings.
Work Structure is Important:
Before starting work, make a flow of every work you are going to do. Keep some spare time in check so if some sudden work comes up, you can handle it. Try to take the help of an online calendar or to-do list to keep things in check and sorted manner.
Your Phone is Your Enemy:
When you are at home, your phone is the first and most frequent thing you will use to pass time. While working you have to keep it down. If you are an android user, digital well being (for android P and Q only and on selected devices) help you to stay in focus.
Setup Focus Mode in your phone and select those apps you use the most to pass time like social media, messaging apps, news apps, or others. Until you are in focus mode, the phone will keep those apps shut even if you try to open them. Some smartphones and chrome browsers allow you to set up a work profile. It will limit the app or change the environment of the phone and browser to let you focus on your work.
Not Ready For Early Meetings:
Try to schedule all your meetings and call in the afternoon if you do not feel awake in the morning. Do small tasks in the morning like a warm-up exercise. Note the average time you are ready to focus fully on work. Now schedule a call and meeting at that time. This will help you be more productive in meetings.
Music is Your Best Escape:
While working from home, if it is hard for you to concentrate on your work try to listen to music. A diverse playlist will help you to keep your mind focused on the task in hand. Video game soundtrack or harmony instrumentals are best for this. No lyrics to focus on, just adrenaline-filled music to motivate you.
Last Words:
In the end, it doesn’t even matter where you are working from, the main thing right now is that you stay inside. We all are currently facing a pandemic situation and we as a community have to stand together and stand smart in this situation. So please stay at home, work hard, and productively. So corona can not affect you or your work in any way.
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy
Work From Home, a practice that is currently adopted and implemented by so many organizations. To survive this pandemic, companies with no WFH policies have also accepted this norm. It doesn’t matter if you are a small business or big one with a better finance backup, everyone has accepted WFH as their new normal and new workstation.
WFH is the coin with pros and cons and no one knows what you are going to get. Sometimes it benefits the organization more than the employees or vise versa. According to new research, there are employees leaving jobs just because of a long commute. People don’t want to travel long. So some take it as an advantage and for some, it is a disadvantage.
Also, in this current situation of CoronaVirus (COVID-19) pandemic, everyone is instructed to stay at home to be safe. Work from home always worries employers that this luxury reduces the productivity of their employees. Well, these are some researches showing that remote workers are more productive than in-office workers.
According to a survey and LiveMint article “While the COVID-19 impact can be felt by organisations across sectors, 72 percent of the organisations stated that its impact will be felt beyond six months. Around 70 percent of the organisations believe that the single biggest concern for continued remote working is fall in productivity.”
Take a look at these facts:
- In-Office workers take 18 minutes of breaks while remote workers take 22 minutes.
- On average remote workers work 1.4 more days in a month and 16.8 more days in a year.
- If we exclude lunch, break time, and others, remote workers stay still for only 27 minutes while in-office workers stay ideal for 37 minutes.
But yes, while working from home you also become your own worst enemy. You are free to be yourself, no one is peeping over you, no coworkers to distract you, and most of all, you can wear pyjamas while working.
So, how can you keep your productivity unaffected while working from home?
Get An Early Head Start:
Jumping into your work as soon as you wake up is the best way to start your work from home. Go through all the work and to-do list you are going to cover today. I know moving from your pillow to laptop is kind of a battle but you have to win this one now.
Make a Workstation:
Being ready mentally and physically are totally two different things. You wake up, take a shower, and change clothes to prepare you only physically. Your mind still knows you are in your comfort zone, so it is still not ready to work.
Setup a different area. Try to be on a chair and table. Your bed is not that ideal for working. Make yourself a coffee before starting working. Wear decent clothes, at least on top, so are always prepared for meetings.
Work Structure is Important:
Before starting work, make a flow of every work you are going to do. Keep some spare time in check so if some sudden work comes up, you can handle it. Try to take the help of an online calendar or to-do list to keep things in check and sorted manner.
Your Phone is Your Enemy:
When you are at home, your phone is the first and most frequent thing you will use to pass time. While working you have to keep it down. If you are an android user, digital well being (for android P and Q only and on selected devices) help you to stay in focus.
Setup Focus Mode in your phone and select those apps you use the most to pass time like social media, messaging apps, news apps, or others. Until you are in focus mode, the phone will keep those apps shut even if you try to open them. Some smartphones and chrome browsers allow you to set up a work profile. It will limit the app or change the environment of the phone and browser to let you focus on your work.
Not Ready For Early Meetings:
Try to schedule all your meetings and call in the afternoon if you do not feel awake in the morning. Do small tasks in the morning like a warm-up exercise. Note the average time you are ready to focus fully on work. Now schedule a call and meeting at that time. This will help you be more productive in meetings.
Music is Your Best Escape:
While working from home, if it is hard for you to concentrate on your work try to listen to music. A diverse playlist will help you to keep your mind focused on the task in hand. Video game soundtrack or harmony instrumentals are best for this. No lyrics to focus on, just adrenaline-filled music to motivate you.
Last Words:
In the end, it doesn’t even matter where you are working from, the main thing right now is that you stay inside. We all are currently facing a pandemic situation and we as a community have to stand together and stand smart in this situation. So please stay at home, work hard, and productively. So corona can not affect you or your work in any way.
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy
