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In response to COVID-19, more and more companies, including TSIA, are asking employees to work from home. Because a large portion of our team of Research Executives works remotely on a regular, full-time basis, I thought I’d reach out to them and compile a list of their tips and proven best practices for effectively managing their home workspace, daily routine, and how they stay connected. Here’s what they had to say.

Workspace

Establishing your home workspace can help you stay focused and motivated. If at all possible, create a separate space to serve as your home office so you avoid letting work activity spill into every room of your house, making it hard to find spaces to decompress. 

  • Instruct those you share your home with that your workspace is sacred. If the door is closed, it means, in no uncertain terms, DO NOT DISTURB. This will likely require some adjustment (and reinforcement) for all concerned. This tactic is critical for those of you with children at home (or a chatty significant other).
  • Don’t eat lunch at your desk.
  • If the home phone rings, let it go to voicemail.
     

Daily Work Routine

Working from home can blur the lines a bit when it comes to work-life balance. You will be tempted to be online earlier and later than you normally would if you were at the office. Try to keep the same work hours, if possible, and make sure others that are home with you are aware of those hours to minimize disturbances during the day. Establishing a daily work routine and sticking to that routine can be extremely helpful in making sure you maintain a good balance. 

  • Block your calendar to work on tasks and try to keep those blocks sacred so you can actually focus on those tasks.
  • At the end of each day, make a list of the top 3 things to tackle first thing the next day. The next morning, focus on these before anything else, including email.
  • Set reminders on your calendar to take breaks so that you don’t sit for more than 2 hours at a time.

Staying Connected

It’s easy to become professionally lonely when you’re working from home. And now more than ever, it’s important to be available for each other and stay connected as we all navigate the challenges brought on by COVID-19. Be proactive about social interaction and maintaining an open dialogue with your colleagues that extends outside of scheduled calls.

  • Use connectivity tools that enable you to chat with your colleagues for your “water cooler” time.
  • Start using “video on” during all of your conference calls. It’s a way of staying connected and simulating face-to-face interaction.
  • Set up virtual sessions with your key counterparts across your organization.

TSIA is Here for You

We understand that the lives of our employees, our customers, and the world at large have been impacted by COVID-19. Now, more than ever, we need to work together to get through these challenging times. TSIA is committed to providing visibility as quickly as possible into the changing industry trends and practices that come as a result of COVID-19. 

If you have any questions related to how COVID-19 is impacting your organization, we’re here to help. 

 
 
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Thomas Lah

About Author Thomas Lah

Thomas Lah is executive director and executive vice president of TSIA. Since 1996, he has used his incisive analysis, strategic thinking, and creative solutions to help some of the world’s largest technology companies improve the efficiency of their daily operations. He has authored several books, including, Bridging the Services Chasm (2009), Consumption Economics (2011), B4B (2013), and Technology-as-a-Service Playbook: How to Grow a Profitable Subscription Business (2016), and Digital Hesitation: Why B2B Companies Aren’t Reaching Their Full Digital Potential (2022). He is also the host of TSIA’s podcast, TECHtonic: Trends in Technology and Services.

Thomas' favorite topics to discuss