Efficient in the home office?

Practical tips for working at home and many reasons to finally start digitization

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As a result of the Corona pandemic, many more people are now working from home, some just a few days, others full time. With the new mix of office hours and home office, there are not only many challenges, but also opportunities. But one question remains: How can you work efficiently in a home office?

Home office, hybrid work and remote work

During the pandemic period, the home office requirement came as quite a surprise to everyone. Many had to set up their workplace at home from one moment to the next. Companies that had been hesitant about digitization in particular had a hard time adjusting to the new conditions. Spontaneously set up home workstations not only brought unfamiliar work situations, they also required the availability of a suitable room, desk, the appropriate technology and, last but not least, the fastest possible Internet connection.

Workers had to learn very quickly to organize their own work at home and had unexpected freedom. Not everyone could (or can) handle it well. Good planning and organization has become – and continues to be – a challenge for every employee. With the end of the pandemic, the desire for presence in the workplace returned, and not just on the corporate side. But because everyone has learned by now, employees appreciate the advantages of the home office. For example, there is no need to travel to the workplace or there is more peace and quiet in the home office than in an open-plan office.

Many companies therefore allow their employees mixed forms of office and home office time, either uniformly for all or also individually coordinated with individuals. The biggest advantage: it makes employers more attractive on the labor market. After all, a good work-life balance is becoming increasingly important to many employees, especially younger ones, as is the issue of sustainability. The less travel time per employee, the less CO2 is produced, less energy is consumed, and the environment is protected. And that’s where home office providers can score points.

Remote work or mobile working is also becoming increasingly important. For all those who (again) go on business trips a lot, such as sales or service employees, it is important to be reachable on the road and to have access to your data.

So in addition to the question of being efficient in a home office, there is another: How to achieve productive team collaboration.

Our tips for the home office – short & short

1. Not everyone has the luxury of having a separate study at home. Nevertheless, it is important to create a suitable space for the home office. On the one hand, ergonomic conditions, such as the height and distance of the screen, should be taken into account. After all, back pain is not absent from the workplace at home. You should therefore quickly put the tempting idea of working from the sofa out of your mind.
2. Separate the workplace from the places where your free time will take place later. This makes it possible to work in a much more concentrated manner and to switch off more extensively – room dividers can help if no separate room is available.
3. Daily routines, such as the first coffee in the morning or the way to work, help us start the workday and maintain a regular daily routine. That’s why they should not be missing in the home office either. Stick to your usual routines whenever possible. Have breakfast before you sit down at your desk. Dress as you normally would for work. Or simulate the commute with a short walk.
4. Fixed times for breaks, closing time & Co. are also very helpful for a structured working day.
5. Make lunch dates with family, friends, roommates, or even favorite colleagues via video call to keep social interaction in the home office from going stale.
6. If all employees are in different locations and no longer in the same office, it is much more difficult than usual to reach agreements and pass on important information. You can either use free tools or larger collaboration tools that allow you to not only start video group meetings, but also manage tasks and share information.
7. If you work remotely or mobile, i.e. neither from home nor in the office, but on the road (e.g. on the train, in a bistro) or from co-working spaces, you must not only be able to work via mobile devices, but also offline, i.e. when the Internet connection should be interrupted. This is usually made possible with an app.

Our tool tips

• In a CRM system all information can be found centrally and transparently for each employee. Moreover, the exchange of info becomes easy and clear even at a distance. Each CRM software also includes numerous features to make business processes more efficient and is designed for mobile working (via Cloud CRM and CRM app).
• GEDYS IntraWare CRM software makes it especially easy for you to stay up-to-date with the Following Feature. This allows you to follow contacts, documents or sales opportunities, for example. You will be automatically informed about each new update. Links within a following message make new info accessible with one click.
• For internal communication, in addition to phone, email, video calls & conferences, you can also use Persistent Chats, which allows you to resume any previous conversation from where it left off. In addition, video calls can be started directly from group chats. This saves time and makes team communication pleasantly simple (everything is integrated in GEDYS IntraWare WebCRM).

CONCLUSION: Digitizing – better late than never

If you haven’t jumped on the digitization bandwagon yet, it’s high time you did if you and your employees want to collaborate successfully in the future and be efficient in the home office or fit for hybrid working. You will also gain more resilience with CRM.