Top tips for working from home during COVID-19

Millions of workers are following government advice and are now working from home to combat the spread of COVID-19, so the interest to learning best remote work practices is at its highest.  

Remote work is notoriously hard to transition to. Chief transparency officer of TransparentBusiness, Moe Vela knows this all too well. He is an expert in remote work and helped countless companies mobilise a workplace online while ensuring that work quality standards are up to par.

Here are his top tips:

1. Create a routine and make this your new normal. Self-discipline is required and set real work hours.
2.  Establish boundaries between work and personal life, create a designated work space and remember to practice self-care (that doesn’t include social media) but get your work done.
3. Constant communication with your colleagues and managers – important that communication remain strong if not stronger.
4. Loyalty is key – it fosters trust and remember your employer is worried about productivity and efficiency so do your part to mitigate that concern.
5. When appropriate and feasible, offer to do video chats instead of phone calls – nothing will ever replace the value of face to face interactions.
6. Make yourself aware of software tools and solutions that might make remote work more effective and suggest that your employer implement them.
7. Focus on the positive – no commute, better work/life balance and the comfort of home and use that positive attitude to work diligently.
8. Whether through software or just through updates, keep your employer updated on your work product.
9. Employers – use the resources in the marketplace like videoconferencing and remote workforce monitoring and co-ordinating software to mitigate the risks of a remote workforce.
10.  Above all, participate in the act of transparency – it’s always the best way to go.