As New Zealanders watch the impact of COVID-19 both abroad and at home, we are seeing dramatic changes to the way they we live and work for the foreseeable future.
A key change is that more of us than ever before are preparing to work from home. Working from home can have its own unique set of challenges, especially if you are used to the hum and energy of an office (and an ergonomic desk!)
Here are our top tips for working from home.
The good news is that most major broadband companies have already announced measures to keep us connected - including scrapping data caps to help keep us connected when we’re working from home.
Experts say that across the country we should have the network capacity to be able to cope with an increase in the number of people working from home.
A more likely hurdle to work from home may be home broadband capacity or minor technical issues or glitches as you get set up. So it’s a good idea to get set up and do a test run to check that your home broadband capacity is up to the task, and to work our any technical glitches with your IT team.
We can help you compare broadband plans to choose the best plan to suit your needs.
Try to set yourself up with a dedicate workspace or office in your home – you may need to think creatively if you have limited space. Try to set up an ergonomic space, with comfortable seating, good lighting and fresh air. Try doing a test run of your new work space to make sure you have
A dedicated workspace helps maintain a boundary between “home” and “work”. Going to “work” in your dedicated workspace can help you avoid home-life chores and distractions during office hours. It can also help to switch off your computer and leave the “office”, so that your work life doesn’t start sneaking into your “home” life.
If you’re working from home, the chances are you’ll be alone and you won’t be distracted by colleagues’ conversations and other office noise. However, you may find that spending the whole day working alone can be isolating and your motivation drops. Plan to spend some time each day picking up the phone to have a real conversation rather and check-in with co-workers than relying on email and instant messenger.
Homes aren’t always the quietest place to work, especially if your partners also works from home, or you have kids about. As more of us work from home, most of us will probably find ourselves in the same boat. It may help to embrace the distractions and acknowledge the noise or chaos as we all find a new way of working.
