Home office has become a very efficient tool for many companies; this consists, as its name says, in working from home.
This modality is not as new as it’s believed, according to a post named “¿Conoces la historia del Home Office?” written by Avril Rojas: in the 70s it was proposed by Jack Nilles when an oil crisis significantly increased the cost of fuel in the United States, so energy savings were sought by avoiding trips that would cause the consumption of oil derivatives. In the 80s several companies carried out tests to assess the benefits of this modality, and it was not until 2010 that a large number of workers were on the payroll to work from home. However, as we know, in 2020 most companies were forced to adopt home office due to what was declared a global pandemic.
Although they were unfortunate events, today we can say that thanks to this, the effectiveness of this modality was proven. In fact, Mauricio Hernández says in his post on Forbes website, that according to the survey carried out by IAE Business School, 84% of workers in Mexico liked the experience of working from home and 76% indicated that their position is well suited to these conditions, which is why many companies decided to take advantage of the great benefits and permanently adopt this way of working.
So it is important to question, what are the ideal conditions for the home office? It seems that everything is comfortable. However, if we do not do it properly, we could suffer negative consequences. In order to avoid that, here are 5 recommendations:
- Set schedules. Respect and value your time by following the work schedule established by your company. Following a daily routine where you can always start and end at the same time, setting schedules facilitate the fulfillment of our objectives thanks to the organization. Avoid working overtime, not only physically, but also mentally, which brings us to the next point.
- Adapt a workspace. Avoid working in areas where you commonly do leisure activities, otherwise, it will be more difficult to clear your mind of work issues when you try to rest. When we work in an office and leave to go home, we know that we’ve left our work there, but doing this is more complicated when we work from home, so it is important to establish a specific space, preferably a different room.
- Take breaks. Establishing a specific space and schedule does not mean that we cannot take advantage of some benefits of working from home. During your day, do some breaks that will allow you to improve your productivity such as walking, hydrating yourself, and chatting with someone, among others. This will help you clear your mind and reduce your stress levels.
- Pajamas Off. The clothes we wear can influence our attitude. We associate pajamas with rest, so wearing the clothes you sleep with could make it hard for you to get active. You don’t need to wear fancy clothes to work from home, but it’s a good idea to wear something other than what you wear for sleeping.
- Do one thing at a time. We all have other responsibilities at home, and doing home office might seem easy to do at any time during the workday, nevertheless, this can distract us and stress us out. Plan your day by accommodating those activities at specific times that you think will not affect your productivity.
To summarize, the previous list are not rules that you must follow to perform your activities correctly in the home office mode, but, just like in the office, there are guidelines for a better environment, so why not have them the same in your new workspace? In the end, they are general recommendations and everyone can make their own, so don’t forget to share the knowledge with your peers!
