here is a easy link guide:

Keep a Dedicated Work-space.
If you Can’t use your Phone at Work Don’t at Home.
Always Communicate.
You still need to Dress for Work.
Digital Courtesy Matters.
Use Video Chat.
Know where your MUTE button is.
Don’t stop working if it’s a hard day.
Conclusion

Work from Home & Advance your Career Post Pandemic.

By now your company has probably has made changes to working from home because of this new virus. I’m sure this came with mixed feelings. As most people got excited at the chance to not have to make the everyday morning commute. Thoughts of waking up and making the morning cup of coffee just the way you like it. Or sitting next to “JOE” who already hacked up a lung before even hearing of the Virus.

Now here is your chance, not only to work in an environment where you may feel most comfortable. But here is where you can really get a chance to further your career and make a lasting impression.

I’m just going to tell you now, many people are gong to blow this opportunity. Things like: Working from home but still being late.
Calling in Sick (this one they may get away with)
Productivity is going to hit the floor.

Companies are already aware of this and know, they have already discussed this and the possible issues this will bring.

With working from home comes a great deal of trust. I wont necessarily say responsibility because your daily duties will remain relatively the same. But this “TRUST” thing that I’m talking about is a temperament that companies are looking for. The ability to work lightly supervised and handle day-to-day operations. So lets get into it.

Looking towards your future we suggest that your read: How to Make Money in a Recession.

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Tips to be Successful when Working from Home.

Keep a Dedicated Work-space.

While is may seem like the best thing on earth to be able to sit in-front of the T.V. All day watching your favorite shows while working. This can be your immediate downfall. Creating this type of distraction is going to do a a few things to your work productivity.

#1. It’s going to cause you to make plenty of mistakes. As soon as your take your eye of the task at hand and begin to watch your favorite show; that you can only catch on DVR, mistakes or going to happen. These mistakes is what is gong to separate those who decided to create a space dedicated for their work.

#2. By not having a dedicated space along with the mistakes your productivity will drop. It doesn’t matter if you know your job forwards and backwards. It is a fact we as people cannot do two things at once. Your company will see the slide in your numbers. (numbers don’t lie). Make sure to separate yourself from any distractions that may take you away from that computer screen.
#3 (umm, working on it.)

If you Can’t use your Phone at Work Don’t at Home.

Yes, this may seem like the opportune time to put your Mom on speaker phone and let her talk. As much as you think this would be a great time to catch up on all the family business, it’s not. This also is a distraction and will take away from what you are here to do. Even at home you need to use your phone during breaks and lunches. I can’t tell you how many times I have got distracted from my work because I decided to hold a conversation with a family member or a friend.

Your personal phone is for your personal time. your job doesn’t call you on your phone just to chat. No, that is not your relationship, it is a working relationship. This goes the same for you don’t spend your working/productive hours doing personal things.

Always Communicate.

Sure, working from home has it’s benefits. You can just get-up and go to the bathroom or run to the fridge to grab that cold glass of your favorite juice. With this comes responsibility, when working remotely people can’t just peep their heads over the cubicle to see if your there. You have to make sure that people can see you are available and you need to be available. When you are not going to be available make sure that you let someone know a peer or your supervisor etc. You can even use your business Skype and make your self off-line.

Building habits of not being there when people need you is going to be the other halves downfall. Again, this is about you getting ahead and advancing in your career. Bottom-line is that people need you and your team and customers need you, so be there for them. I know you remember the feeling when you go to Walmart and they have 50 check-out aisle and only two people there. That is how we feel when they reach out to you and you stepped outside to have a quick smoke break without telling anyone.

You still need to Dress for Work.

I know what your thinking, who cares nobodies going to see me any way and I want to be comfortable. Understand that being too comfortable will cause you to do things like walk away from your desk, watch a little T.V., go into the kitchen and make a snack “real fast.” These are the time killers that your company is not only aware of but afraid of. you are not working from home and you will not be the first person to do these things or the last, but the difference is people with those habits lose their jobs.

You still need to keep your same routine. (almost) Do everything you normally do when getting ready for work besides getting in the car and driving off. This is going to keep you in the mind frame that I’m working and I still have a job to do. Rolling out of bed at the last minute and “clocking in” is not going to cut it. That “Oh I’ll just take a shower during lunch” mentality is what is going to be many people’s downfall. This is your chance to show that you can be trusted with the company card, take those business trips and be where you need to be. Traveling for business is just like working from home, it’s home away from home.

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Digital Courtesy Matters.

You are going to be communicating in a complete different way. You’ll be sending more email and more IM’s then usual. You have to keep in mind that there is a proper way to digitally communicate. You need to be aware of how people will read the things that you write. How people perceive verbal communication is different than written. When you type in caps you are “YELLING.” If you don’t use Capitalization you are not adding emphasis. When you write some try using the bold for important text it will stand out and help make your point.

Make sure that you are thanking people for responding and completing whatever task that you hand to them. 9 times out of ten when you are writing someone it will be to ask them for help. Either help with answering a “quick question” or gathering information to complete a portion of your days workload. Whatever it is make sure that you acknowledge that they were present when you needed them and they assisted you with what you needed. This goes along way in getting help again.

Use Video Chat.

That’s Right! Video chat can be a very powerful tool for you, especially when people are going to be more disconnected than ever. This is your time to show that “Hey, I dressed for work”. You may even get a call from your supervisor and if you are in your PJ’s think how professional you are going to feel. If you answer a video chat in work attire, just that first impression is going to send signals that in or out of office I’m here to work. Think about how professional you will feel being interviewed by your leaders and you built a professional brand for yourself. Don’t be the person who didn’t wash their face or brush their teeth. When you get the call your not going to even want to answer it or you’ll scramble to look half decent.

Know where your MUTE button is.

When on a conference call and working from home, you may want to take the time to pop open a bag of chips a put your feet up. All is fine until your hear the presenter say. “whoever is eating chips into the phone please mute yourself.” This is not only embarrassing and unprofessional it shows a lack of respect for your work. If your kids are at home make sure to take these calls in a different room and you still may want to mute your phone. You’ll be amazed what background noise can make it into a conference call. Of course your thinking oh well if that happens they wont know it’s me. You’re wrong, simple deduction will tell you who that person was, it’s easy to find out who had their phone on mute.

Don’t stop working if it’s a hard day.

There’ll be times when you haven’t got any ideas, or just don’t feel productive. Train yourself to do some work anyway. It’s a short fall from “It’s just not happening at the moment” to “It’s a bit tough, I’ll stop for the day”. Next thing you know, you never seem to get anything done.

This mindset can easily happen when you don’t have co-workers walking past your desk or your supervisor walking up and down the aisle 10 times a day. Make sure that you hold yourself to a positive and productive standard. Now would be the time to be more productive and show your company that people work better when the enjoy their environment. When you do return to the office and the monthly or quarterly employee engagement round tables commence. They will be able to see that maybe there are some changes that we can make in the office to bring about a better company environmental culture.

Conclusion

In all, when you work from home take the time to enjoy that fact that you not working in the office. Enjoy being able to do small things like: Use your own bathroom, not sit next to coughing “JOE”, listen to music while at work, or even not have to pay for cafeteria food. There are so many small pleasure that we can receive from being able to work in our own home. Take advantage of it, but don’t abuse it; because what can be given can be taken away.

Hopefully if you followed these steps I know that you will have risen above the crowd to show yourself as a verifiable player in the game. You will have thought the opposite of everyone else. While they were looking for an easy ride your were taking advantage to show skills that every company desires. You were building relationships with opinions that can change your career. Stay focused, Work smart, Don’t quit and You got this.

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