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Post on 23-Apr-2018
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Working from home is on the up, and employers are seeing
the advantages of giving employees flexibility. So in order for
remote working to increasingly be available to those who
need flexible working hours, there are a few key things to
consider to ensure home o�ce working is simple and
productive.
Polycom has put together some top tips to make sure you
make the most of working from home and getting the right
work-life balance.
Home Working 101
Fast, reliable, responsive; you can’t be any of these without an internet service that’s all three of
them. First and foremost make sure you’ve got a strong wireless connection in your home. If you
can’t get a guaranteed strong signal from your router to your home o�ce, invest in a pair of net
plugs.
Internet Connection
Which devices and hardware are compatible with your company’s IT setup? How do you access
shared files? What’s the protocol for security/general issues? It’s these types of questions that
are easy to bypass in the excitement of transitioning to a home o�ce. So before you do make
this transition, to avoid ending up back in the o�ce resolving these issues – speak to your IT
department.
Get help to set-up the relevant connections and software to ensure you can get stuck in on
your first day in your new home o�ce.
Ensure you’ve sorted your security – most employers have approved methods of how to
transfer important data. Make sure you’re clear on these and adhere to the guidelines.
Test-run the equipment and setups before your first day at home, so you can get straight to
work and avoid any last-minute questions.
Talk to the Techs
Home Working 101
We all know the obvious key ingredients to working from home – a PC, a phone, a
kettle... However we’ve suggested few additional pieces of equipment or technology to
consider. Prevention is better than cure, so get ahead of the game to ensure you don’t
stumble upon unexpected problems further down the line.
Get the right equipment Get set up with a good webcam and video conferencing service – this not only reduces costs and travel
time, but it means you can still be part of the team community. It’ll help stimulate your brain and keep you
connected with the team – both on a work and social level. Check out if your o�ce has Microsoft Lync or
the means to connect via instant message and video – after all seeing a smiling face, is clinically proven
to improve your mood.
Make sure you get a booster if your o�ce is further away from the router to save you ending up hunched
next to a high signal spot. It also means you can get consistent signal throughout the house and even on
your patio, weather permitting.
Have a back-up plan – get a dongle or ensure your phone/tablet has 3G or 4G mobile data so you’re
never stuck without a way to connect.
Invest in a sound-cancelling headset or noiseblock facilities so that when you have video collaboration
sessions you can avoid background noise such as children or pets, from interrupting the conversation. It’s
also worth checking out Polycom’s new Acoustic Bubble, which automatically engages the microphone
when you’re talking, and mutes it when you’re not, similarly avoiding interruptions.
Divert personal calls so you can use your phone as a work phone during working hours – it’s possible to
do this with an android phone now too.
Video Conferencing
Booster
Dongle / 3G / 4G
Headset
Divert
Good lighting is important for your eyes, attitude and video conferencing. Invest in a good desk lamp and
check how you look in “self-view” on your video system, so you can make adjustments before you start a
call.
Light
Home Working 101
Home Working 101
When working from home, the challenge is getting the balance between tailoring the day to your
most productive state, while also maintaining structure and discipline. This might take a few
weeks to get right, so don’t panic and don’t be afraid to try out di�erent schedules in the first
couple of weeks – many people begin by working more hours than they would in the o�ce
when they shift to a home o�ce setup, but actually remote workers more productive in the same
amount of time as their o�ce-based counterparts. Before you start working from your home
o�ce, to make sure its projecting an image of professionalism, ask someone you trust to check
out what they think – they’ll often see or hear something you haven’t.
Daily structure
Firstly talk to any other inhabitants of your home what’s possible and establish ground rules
during your working hours. This not only avoids distractions, but also keeps your work and
home life separate.
Schedule in proper breaks, and make sure they involve getting up and doing something
active – separate those break periods from your o�ce – go for a walk, cook a Jamie’s
30-minute meal or read the news. Use your breaks to be creative and take your mind away
from what you’ve been doing so you can go back to your o�ce refreshed and ready to
work.
Organise video calls to keep updated at both ends – you need to be as available as you
would be if you were in the o�ce. It’s also an important way to keep up morale and
motivation on a face-to-face level, not just for yourself but for your team.
Once your working day is over, detach yourself from the home o�ce – get out of the house
for five minutes and then walk back into your house as your home,not your o�ce.
Home Working 101
Research has shown there are a number of other things you can do to make the most of working
from home:
Colour
Keep your home o�ce colourful – or at least your socks. Statistics show that blue helps to calm
you down. Researchers from the University of Sussex exposed volunteers to a range of colours
and light. Those exposed to colour completed tests up to 25 per cent quicker.
Music
Don’t be fooled by the myths of music – recent research has shown that silence is key for
best results. However other researchers say it’s only music with lyrics that cause distraction
and that the “Mozart E�ect” (songs without lyrics) improves working
A study by the University of Miami found IT specialists who listened to music completed
tasks more quickly and came up with better ideas than those who didn't
Essentially this is something you’ll have to experiment with yourself to work out what works
best for you
Blue and green boost men’s happiness
Blue, purple and orange boost women’s happiness
Home Working 101
Meditation
Re-train your mind to deliver better results in the time you work by setting aside a short
meditation session. Why not also create a mantra, which translates literally as “that which
protects the mind”
Be sociable, but not necessarily social
Research by PlosOne suggests that frequent use of Facebook makes you unhappy
Limit your time for using your personal social media account to your break times
Get a pet
Medical studies on the human-animal bond show that having a pet reduces stress levels,
cholesterol levels, blood pressure and improves the condition of your heart – pet owners
experience fewer heart attacks than those without
Women in particular benefit from pet dogs
It also gets you out and about during your break and gets you exercising
And for those times you’re not working from home, you can video call your pet..
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