Lockdown 2 – Helping your employees to work from home.

We are now part way through the first half of Lockdown 2. Many workers are now working back at home. Other workers have been working from home since the original lockdown in March. At Nash Business Systems we often talk about work systems. Having the right system in your business to maximise efficiency. We also understand that during these unknown times good mental well-being is a major factor for your employees.

We have spoken to our team and come up with some ideas we wanted to share.

Have good daily routine

Treat your workday morning routine as if you were going into your workplace. Have a shower, eat a good breakfast, and get dressed. This will prepare you to enter your usual work mode.

Take regular breaks throughout your working day. Eat healthy snacks and take time to have lunch away from your desk. Eating healthily will keep your energy levels up therefore making your working day more successful.

Your Workspace

If you can set up an area to be your dedicated workspace. It is recommended that this should if possible be out of your lounge/living room. If possible, use an office chair, this will help with comfort and posture more than a dining chair will. Keep your workspace uncluttered and clear. This will help to focus on your work tasks and not your home life tasks. If you live with other people establish some basic ground rules about noise levels and not interfering with work documents or equipment. Music can also help in your workspace. A background noise such as music or the radio can increase concentration levels. It can also help when performing monotonous tasks to aid concentration.

Teamwork

Working outside the office loses the social interaction with your team. It is important for employees to keep this contact with their team leaders and their fellow team members. Stay connected via services like Microsoft Teams or Zoom. This will allow employees to easily discuss their work, problem solve and increase social interactions. Take a team virtual coffee break, all get together and spend a few minutes with a drink talking about family, pets, hobbies, lockdown, and life. This social interaction will benefit employees, lift energy and well being levels Team leaders could organise virtual quiz nights for staff members, or film nights where all the team watch the same film and discuss the following day. It is important to include all team members and ensure that the social aspect of work life is not lost when employees are at home.

Get Outside

We would highly recommend taking time to get outside every day, experts recommend a twenty-minute walk will boost energy levels. Pilates and Yoga are great exercises you can perform at home with not much space.

Friends and Family

Lockdown is restricting us from close contact with our Friends and Family. It is important for well being to keep in touch via phone, social media, and virtual calls. For instance a family WhatsApp group is a great way to share messages and photos. Keeping in touch easily with your loved ones.

Focus on your Team

We hope some of these ideas can help employers focus on their employees at this time. A great system of work relies on a productive work force. 2020 has proved a challenging year for businesses across many levels. Keeping in touch with your team can improve motivation. A phone call or message to check in can make an employee feel valued. In conclusion keeping your team focused, secure and happy is an important part of that challenge.