Essential

Work at home

Thanks to evolutions in technology and communication tools, working at

home is a practice that is being developed more and more in companies
today. It can take on several different forms with variable arrangements
according to each context. It can be formalized in a legal agreement
indicating the exact number of days in a work contract, or it could be set up
more informally if it just occurs from time to time.
This new possibility companies can propose to employees has a number of
challenges to it. The best way to rise to these challenges is to be disciplined
and to set up an environment at home that will be conducive to getting the
job done well.

The challenges of working at home

Studies show that people working at home come face to face with four rather big challenges:

Social isolation Productivity

Because they are far from their office and co-workers,
interactions with other professionals decrease for
people working from home. They also miss out
on a certain number of formal (group or face-to-
face meetings, social events, etc.) and informal
(talking during breaks, outside activities with co-
workers, etc.) exchanges. Modern communication
methods reduce the feeling of isolation, but they
also have their limits. These methods sometimes
lack friendliness and spontaneity, and can lead to
misunderstandings.
As with any change, productivity can decline during
the time the home worker gets used to the new
situation and new organizational methods. Working
at home will be successful if the adjustment period
is as short as possible. The goal should then be to
improve productivity thanks to the advantages
of working at home, like the time gained by not
commuting, the ability to concentrate without
being interrupted, etc.
Work/life balance

Visibility within the organization
By spending less time in the office, home workers are
not seen as much by their superiors or co-workers.
This could, in fact, cause them to be considered less
as a member of a team, and this could be detrimental
if this has an impact on their work or professional
growth.
By providing more flexible work hours (according to
the limits set up by supervisors), working at home
can pose some negative effects: remote employees
can accumulate overtime or, conversely, not fully
work the time set out in their contract. Workaholics
will have the tendency to forget to stop working,
while others will have difficulties getting started.
It’s important to be watchful in both cases because
of the important impact on work/life balance. Each
person is responsible for defining the strict division
between the two and for respecting this boundary.

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Work at home
Successful rules for self-discipline
In order to really flourish and be efficient when working at home, a number of specific rules must be followed
within this new environment.
Maintaining contact with co-workers
In order not to feel isolated or distanced from the
rest of the team, it is important to take advantage
of any moment of interaction with them. This is
good advice not only for formal exchanges but also
for informal ones, because it’s important to create
solid ties to team members. To do this, all the means
available need to be used: e-mail, instant messaging,
and texting, of course—but don’t ignore using the
telephone or webcam, which allow sharing non-
verbal interactions through voice and body language
as well. Lastly, it is important to maintain face-to-face
interactions by going to the office on a regular basis
in order to nurture relationships with colleagues and
to synchronize with them. Define the ideal frequency
of visits to the office in order to stay in tune with the
team and feel like an integral participant.
Staying visible
Here are a few tips so that co-workers and managers
don’t forget about remote workers:
• Communicate and distribute results ;
• Share work and make sure that the people who
need to see it can access it. Be careful though:
determine the documents that are being worked
on and the documents that have been finished in
order to avoid misunderstandings ;
• Ensure that colleagues know how and where to
get in touch with you. Someone working from
home can, for example, send a quick e-mail in the
morning saying, “Hi! I’m working from home today.
You can reach me at this number: XXX-XXX-XXX.” ;
• Set up working hours when you can be reached
at home ;
• Transmit these hours through schedule sharing
or using tools indicating availability ;
• Tell co-workers ahead of time before visiting the
office so that you’re sure you’ll see them.
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Essential
Being organized and productive
Working at home requires a minimum of organization.
You’ll need to know how to juggle work time between
the days at home and those at the office, as well
as managing the distance between you and your
colleagues and the rarity of meetings with them.
A good thing to do would be to define the
activities that conform better to working at home.
For example, the activities requiring calm and
concentration and the ones better off accomplished
at the office—like those needing meetings with
colleagues or access to tools only available
on company premises. Once you have divided
these tasks, your schedule should be optimized
accordingly. Planning out your tasks and visits is
essential to becoming more efficient.
Lastly, you need to respect your schedule. It might
be tempting to say that you’ll catch up on a piece
of business later when you’re working at home.
But letting things pile up is an error that can have
repercussions on productivity.
Setting limits
When working at home, the division between private
life and professional life is not as clear. When the
physical and geographical boundaries disappear,
it can be difficult to make the distinction between
the two in your mind. It is nonetheless important to
clearly separate each one: on one hand, isolating
yourself from personal distractions when working, and
on the other, knowing how to immerse yourself fully
in your personal life once the work day is finished.
To achieve this, establishing a few “transitional”
habits can be useful. For example, wearing business
dress during working hours in order to get into the
working mood, and then changing into more casual
clothes at the end of the day to help you relax and
make the transition. It’s also recommended not to
have contact with family or friends during working
hours, and to put away your work equipment or
documents once the day has finished so that you
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Work at home

don’t get pulled back into it afterward. To set these working hours to ensure balance. But most of all,
limits, some people even like to leave their homes stick to what you have established.
before and after their working day to create a break.
Plan breaks and outings during the day and set your

The ideal environment

Home workers must have the means to work efficiently. For those who regularly work from home, it
is important to have the right environment and equipment. A space dedicated solely to work is highly
recommended, and must be far from noise and disturbances in the rest of the house. Lastly, don’t put up with
equipment that doesn’t work well, doesn’t guarantee proper working conditions or puts your health at risk.
This especially includes the following equipment:

• An ergonomic desk and chair that comply with • Appropriate lighting ;

the current working standards in your country ;
• Reliable and high-performance means of
• An Internet connection that works correctly (with communication (telephone, telephoning or
sufficient access speed) ; videoconferencing software, etc.).

• A computer with an anti-glare screen (if possible)

and all the necessary accessories (webcam,
headphones, microphone, etc.) ;

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