Work From Home Best Practices
Work from home is a privilege many professionals didn’t get 20+ years ago. As we move more into the digital era, here are some work from home best practices to keep in mind.
The ability to work from home is something I’ve always cherished. As a working mom, it’s extremely helpful to have some flex to work away from the office for appointments or school functions. Working from home is becoming more and more commonplace in companies large and small alike. Being able to work from home ,or “remote” as it’s commonly called, means you can work out travel plans, schedule home maintenance or even just take a day to physically disconnect from the office. I’ve worked from home quite a bit over the past three years, so I want to share with you all some best practices to make sure you can keep this privilege.
Make sure you have a strong internet connection
This is work from home 101. You simply cannot do your job where you have spotty or no internet connection. Working in your own house typically isn’t a problem, but if you’ll be working at an airport or coffee shop make sure you can connect to the internet. I recommend having your own mobile hot spot as a backup. I have hot spot capabilities on my phone so I’m always prepared for the worst.
Have a backup plan
In the rare instances that you lose your internet connection all together, have someplace you can get to quickly to reconnect. My home internet has gone out on two occasions but my parents live close so they’re typically my backup plan. If I’m ever having really serious connectivity issues I’ll plan to head to the office to finish my day there. My mobile hot spot is typically my backup plan if I ever have issues connecting to airport wifi during travel.
Keep track of your calendar
I make it a point to be present and prepared for any meeting I may have when I work from home. Just because I can’t be there in person doesn’t mean I won’t attend. My company adds a dial-in number to just about every meeting. If I notice there’s no dial-in number, I ask the meeting coordinator for a number I can call to be part of the conversation. The last thing you want to do is be a no-show for important meetings.
Do your work
This should go without saying but a work from home day does not equate to a day off. You should be staying on top of any projects you have to work on and communicating with your team. It’s not that difficult to tell when someone is supposed to be working from home but they aren’t actually doing anything. Even if it doesn’t come to light that day, eventually the gap in your deliverable will be obvious. You want to make sure you don’t abuse your company’s work from home policy. If you do, you risk yourself and others losing this privilege. You don’t have to be glued to your computer screen all day, just keep in mind to be as responsive as you would if you were in the office.
I hope you all found this post helpful! Leave a comment and let us know if you ever work from home. You can also shop today’s look below! This blazer was part of my roundup for best blazers of the season (click here for more)!
