This year with COVID-19 lockdown working from home has become a way of life. However, as the world goes more remote work teams are progressively being sourced from around the world.

But if you are about to start working from home on a more permanent, or if you’re going to have your staff do it, then the checklist below will outline the key elements you need to consider when beginning to work from home.

Cloud Storage and Communication Set-Up

The initial step is to place communications and shared file storage into the cloud. The leading tools for this are:

  • Google Drive or Dropbox files
  • LastPass for securing passwords
  • Slack or Microsoft Teams for message communication (download app to your phone too)
  • WhatsApp for instant calls/messaging on your phone.
  • Zoom or Google Hangouts for video meetings (download the app to your phone too)

Team Communications Guidelines

It is vital to communicate with each other. However, you also need to set boundaries and rules in regard to contact. In practice, making yourself available 24/7 or even spending all day on chat is not healthy for productivity or anyone’s sanity.

  • Agree what days that the whole team will be in office
  • Agree hours team will be on slack
  • Check-in morning Zoom team meeting (use cameras on for all meetings)
  • What core hours will people be online to be available to communicate with each other?
  • Do you have time zones to consider?
  • Re-arrange one to one meetings to happen on Zoom
  • Set expectations for when everyone will start and finish work
  • Set a new calendar of weekly meetings and who needs to attend

Home Space Set Up

The next item to focus on is your home workspace. The purpose of remote working is to increase productivity, so you need to ensure your home workspace is more efficient than your office workspace.

  • A good supportive chair
  • Dedicated desk or table at the correct height
  • Plan your days activities the night before and on a Sunday for the week ahead
  • Laptop with a camera
  • Elevate your screen to eye level
  • Mouse and keyboard (a second screen if needed)
  • Notebook and pens
  • Desk lamp
  • Natural light
  • Diary
  • Glass bottle/jug of water with glass
  • Personal effects photo or plant

Morning Routine

It is a good idea to kickstart your day with a routine that prepares you for work. As you no longer have a morning commute or need to dress up for the office, you will still need to add a routine that mentally and physically gets you motivated for the day ahead.

  • The night before prepare breakfast or a blend and place in fridge
  • The night before choose a work from home uniform and lay the clothes out ready for the next day
  • Write out what your agenda is for the day and block times in your diary
  • Decide what you are going to do with your commute time -exercise, read a book or go for a walk
  • Practise mindfulness or meditation to prepare yourself for the day
  • Switch off your phone (if possible) for an hour at a time

Work from Home Booking Process

Finally, so that the whole team is on the same page, while you all work from your individual spaces, ensure your company has some firm processes to manage who works from home and when.

  • Does everyone know the working from home process and guidelines?
  • Create a process for each person’s individual needs so they can request when they are working from home
  • Have a visible calendar on the screen in the office (for everyone to see who is working from home)
  • Google form, to request/book when people will be working from home

Once all these processes are outlined you will immediately begin to be more efficient when working from home. Your organisation and team will start reaching all their targets in a less stressful and more practicable way.