The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to work from home. Although this is quite a new concept in Mauritius, the demand from employees to work from home has been rapidly rising abroad. A 2019 survey by LinkedIn shows that 80% employees were interested in telecommuting once a week, and 57% of employees up to 3 times a week.
At goCloud, we have been working from home several days a week for already half a decade! Based on our experience, we’d like to share a few tips to make the telecommuting experience a positive one.
Naushad – Balance your professional and personal time
“When you think of working from home, you probably imagine rolling out of bed, getting to your desk in mere minutes without the hassle of making yourself presentable and then travelling to your workplace. This is definitely one of the best advantages of working from your home office! The downside, however, is that there’s always a computer on and available, making it sometimes hard to define a clear start and finish time. If you decide to work from home more often, make sure to have clear boundaries between your professional time and personal time.”
Frédéric – Invest in a comfortable work station and quality technology
“When I first started working from home, I set up a basic table and chair in my bedroom. Wroooong decision! My back aches and constant complaining from my wife (who wanted her own space back) quickly motivated me to convert a spare bedroom into a home office. Having comfortable office furniture and a quiet space is a must. Then, of course, you need the right IT infrastructure: good WIFI, quality hardware, collaborative tools… That’s where goCloud comes in to help you out!”
Nathalie – Set ground rules with your housemates
“I am convinced that working long hours at the office does not necessarily make you more productive. Working from home allows you to manage your own time, which is an incredible advantage as you can work when you’re at your most productive – provided that your family or housemates respect your work routine. Make it clear that you need some quiet time when you are at your workstation. Saving on commuting time will allow you to make it up to them when you have finished your day’s to-do list.”
In the end, every telecommuter has to find out what works best for him / her. If you are already working from home and have some advice to share, we’d be happy to read them in the comments section below.
