How to Work From Home – Management tips for the boss

Be aware and be kind

Not everyone has a space to work from, a good internet connection and a distraction-free home. Plus it’s a stressful and worrying time for many people at the moment. Be understanding and be prepared for productivity to drop during this time.

Trust your team

You might be worried that everyone is just going to watch TV all day instead of working, but that’s highly unlikely. Focus on deliverables, i.e. are people achieving what they said they will? But keep the current circumstances in mind too.

Provide tech back-up

Everyone will be using their personal internet connections significantly more. Check with your team and if needed upgrade their internet connections to ensure they’ll cope with the extra use. Call your IT department/supplier and check that VPNs, server access, etc. will hold up with everyone connecting to them remotely.

Keep to good time management

It might be tempting to schedule calls and video meetings for during the time your team would usually be commuting to work. Don’t do this.

Create a caring, communicative culture

Set up “social” events that can occur over video calls, it’s important to keep communication and team morale up.

Support your staff every step of the way

Go above and beyond by sending everyone gift boxes - coffee, snacks, drinks, any other supplies or perks they’d usually have in the office. It’s so important to look after your team in general, but is essential at times like this, when the country is in lock-down. If you want to do more to help ease anxiety, buy gift subscriptions to meditation/mindfulness apps for your team (we use Headspace but Calm is another popular app). You could also buy fitness trackers, and those who wish to could join a work group or set challenges as another way to stay connected.