What we can learn from working from home
05.05.2020 - Just a few weeks ago, it seemed unimaginable to some people that they would be able to do their job from home. For others, working from home has long been part of everyday life. And many would have liked to try out mobile working, but failed due to their colleagues' scepticism - or due to technical requirements. Since we have been living with the Covid-19 pandemic, many preconceptions about working from home have become a thing of the past. Together with their employees, companies have gone above and beyond to enable a completely new working culture in a very short space of time.
To protect against Covid-19, Steinbeis has not only set up strict distancing and hygiene rules and contactless shift handovers, but also over 100 home offices. Employees from administration, marketing, sales and IT are permanently working from home. Colleagues alternate within the departments so that contact persons from all departments are always on site. This working from home concept also applies to production, at least in areas where planning processes can be carried out via PC. Steinbeis paper is also an important work companion when working from home: for notes and meeting minutes, to record ideas and set priorities.
Such a cultural change is never without consequences. Fortunately! Because even if the protective measures are currently being gradually relaxed in Germany and most of us will probably soon be sitting in the office again on a regular basis: The most important rules for a successful and healthy working day will remain valid even after the crisis. For example, that ..
... A MINDFUL MORNING ROUTINE MAKES EVERY DAY BETTER
Staying in bed until the last minute and then arriving at work with a hastily thrown-on cardigan may have been tempting in the first few days of the home office phase. But you soon realise that the tasks come tumbling in and demand your undivided attention, even though you're not really awake yet. Having at least half an hour to yourself in the morning ensures greater well-being and efficiency, both in the home office and in the office. This could be a leisurely breakfast, a short jog, a meditation session or a short walk. Simply something that gets you going and makes you happy. Maybe there's even time to indulge in a hobby? "Sometimes I go for a short drive in the forest before work, perhaps to watch the odd fallow deer, red deer or wild boar," reveals Jan Bergmann, Key Account Manager for Office Papers at Steinbeis. Enviable! But inspecting the flowers on the balcony with a coffee in hand can be just as uplifting.
... YOU SHOULD ORGANISE YOUR TO-DOS ACCORDING TO YOUR PERSONAL DAILY SCHEDULE
The advantage of working from home is that you can organise your working hours more independently. But you also lose concentration more quickly when your work and living spaces are so close together. This makes it all the more important to set the right priorities. Make a list of things that need to be done at the end of the day. "I make a list of priorities in a small notebook every day, whether I'm in the office or at home," says Anja Kröger from the Steinbeis Telesales department. Are you a morning person? Prioritise complicated tasks first and then move on to routine matters. Do you need a certain amount of time to reach "operating temperature"? Then do it the other way round. Almost every task has a few hours of discretionary time - listen to yourself and your level of concentration. Your colleagues will thank you for it because the result will be better. And the same applies in the office: prioritise your e-mails and don't let yourself be distracted by spontaneous calls. At the end of the day, everyone will be happier. "The ability to conduct complicated conversations or tasks without someone standing outside the office door every five minutes with an 'important' request should not only be available in the home office," says Benjamin Höckendorf, Head of Sales at Steinbeis.
... A RESPECTFUL TONE IS THE BE-ALL AND END-ALL
An interesting aspect of working from home: suddenly your spouse or children are your new "colleagues" on site. The ones you have to negotiate with for a quiet room to make phone calls or for kitchen duty. After all, in the most likely scenario, everyone is working and schooling from home at the same time. You are more honest with family members than with your colleagues. This is a good breeding ground for arguments, but also for practising considerate communication in stressful phases. Ask firmly but kindly whether the eighth phone call with your boss can perhaps take place in the garden because you need to concentrate in the next room. "Before longer telephone meetings, I cancel my appointment with the family," reveals Tobias Pottrick from the sales field service. This can also make sense in the office to maintain the flow of information while you are not available for two hours. "I had to communicate very carefully to my children that although dad is at home, you can't spontaneously call for a water pistol fight," reports Sales Manager Benjamin Höckendorf. Patience can quickly wear thin in a confined space. Important: Accept compromises if the external circumstances do not allow for a perfect solution. Ask your partner for constructive criticism of your tone of voice in discussions. And then transfer what you have learnt to situations at work. "Of course, it's particularly difficult to listen at home, for example when one of the children is crying or there's been an argument," says Kathrin Ladendorf, Steinbeis customer manager for Germany and Italy. But sometimes this is also part of "good manners" in the office: not interfering in every conversation and leaving colleagues enough space for loud thoughts or spontaneous discussions.
... LUNCH BREAKS ALWAYS MAKE SENSE
Even if the fridge at home is full and the canteen is not an option: a change of scenery at lunchtime works wonders for concentration. Take a walk after lunch, or at least consciously close your laptop for a while and change rooms. "I sometimes even try to fit in a little sports session," says Ulrich Wadephul from the Steinbeis market division management for magazine papers.
Even with a cluttered desk: working through from morning to afternoon will usually only result in a loss of concentration and mistakes being made. When working from home, you often forget the time even faster than in the office. If necessary, set an alarm clock or take regular short breaks between work steps.
... COMMUNICATION CHANNELS DON'T WORK EQUALLY WELL FOR EVERYONE
Have you noticed that there are suddenly fewer misunderstandings in the home office and information is lost less frequently than before? This is probably due to the new structure of your dialogue with colleagues. Have there been more emails and shorter meetings in recent weeks? Or more phone calls and fewer emails than usual? Observe what has changed for you and try to retain helpful things after the home office phase. Like Mailin Rahna, Key Account Manager for Office Supplier: "It has been shown that conference calls are much more dynamic and end more quickly than meetings with numerous participants. The disadvantage, on the other hand, is that conference calls don't generate quite as lively discussions, which often push creativity and actively contribute to finding solutions." Discuss with your direct employees how each individual felt about the flow of information during the crisis. Perhaps you can agree on new rules for the future, such as a maximum length for meetings or the introduction of written meeting minutes. Even small changes can lead to big increases in efficiency.
... YOU NEED CLEAR BOUNDARIES BETWEEN WORK AND LEISURE TIME
Work is not just work. Even if you're just waiting for an email and have already moved in front of the TV or have your mobile phone with you while jogging because your colleague still has some unanswered questions, your psyche registers this as working time and can't relax. It's better to stay at your desk until everything has been clarified - or postponed until the next morning. And then flip a switch in your head. Steinbeis colleague Manuel Behrens from Internal Sales has a simple and useful tip for working from home: "I have a box for my work utensils. After work, everything is packed in there and disappears from view." But it's not just in the home office or when working reduced hours, but also after work in the regular office routine that all colleagues should make sure they give each other sustainable breaks. And maybe even not talk about work at all at the next after-work beer, which we are particularly looking forward to during these times. After all, there's so much personal togetherness to catch up on!
Cover picture: ConvertKit/Unsplash
Author: Nadine Kaminski
