Working From Home Tips

So here you are, in your new normal, all due to Covid-19 and subsequent lockdown levels.

Working from home

Schooling your kids at home

Exercising at home

It’s anything but easy. You are probably feeling overwhelmed! In this article we hope to give you some guidance and put your mind at ease.

The first you need to do to help you keep your sanity is create a designated work space. This is not the kitchen counter or your bed! Make sure you take breaks. Keep regular working hours as this creates structure and improves productivity. Get dressed for work, no PJ’s!

Working from home also has other challenges. Staying connected with your colleagues is important. Keeping in contact with suppliers and clients is vital. You may need some extra help …

Online Security

Chat to your company’s IT guy and make sure that you are fully aware of possible security risks now that you are working from home. Verify emails and attachments before opening it. Be vigilant of unfamiliar links sent to you from unknown sources. Create open communication channels between yourself and your company’s IT Department. This will ensure quick and effective security checks if you suspect a security breach. Keep usernames, passwords and account details safe. This includes databases with valuable information such as client details or banking details. Keep sensitive documents saved in an encrypted folder. Encryption software can be used to assist you. Back-up work to your company’s servers on a frequent basis.

Examples of Online Security

Bitdefender
Norton
Avast

Screen Sharing Tools

Staying connected with colleagues is not only good for your sanity, but is now more important than ever before. Verbal communication alone is often not enough. Showing a colleague or client a product or service is very important. Your virtual team sees what you see and there is little room for miscommunication. Your client can immediately understand what you are talking about. There are many different screen sharing tools to choose from. What you need to accomplish and your company’s business model, will ultimately guide you to make a choice that works for you.

There are options that work best for:

team collaboration,
interactive presentations,
annotation and white boarding

Examples of Screen Sharing Tools

SEDNA for team collaboration
Zapier for interactive presentations
Mural for white boarding

Remote Desktop Software

Remote desktop software will connect you with a computer at your office or a colleague’s home. It is easy to use, safe and secure. Choose software that can be installed remotely, all you need is Internet access. Most importantly, should you need the assistance of your company’s IT guy, while you are working from home, remote desktop software will give him quick and easy access to help you solve your problem.

Examples of Remote Desktop Software

TeamViewer
RemotePC
Parallels Access

Mind Mapping Tools

Brainstorming sessions are a vital part of growing a business. This can be difficult to do if everyone is working remotely. Luckily there are many tools that offer virtual collaboration. The same tools can often also be used to plan projects. Look for mind mapping tools that offer a central theme from which you can create associations and is keyword driven. Great colours and images are a major plus for any mind mapping tool.

Examples of Mind Mapping Tools are:

MindMeister
SmartDraw
XMind

Back Up Software

This is ultimately a good idea even on a personal level! How often have you lost contact details or videos and photos because you didn’t back it up? It will again be important for you to talk to your company’s IT guy about the back-up policy that is in place. Usually large organizations have an automated back-up system in place for just about everything on any electronic device linked to their VPN. The moment you start working from home, you may create files on your personal devices. If you don’t upload it to the company databases and your device crashes, it’s gone!

Examples of Back-up Software are:

iCloud
Google Drive
Office 365 OneDrive

We hope that this article has given you some pointers that will make your work from home experience better! If you have found this content helpful, feel free to share it with colleagues, friends and family!