Working from home has become an increasingly common approach to employment in recent times. Whether it is a personal choice or one that has been enforced upon you doesn’t matter. You will face a number of challenges. Worse still, without the right action plan in place, they can harm your personal life as well as your career.
So, what are the issues that you must keep your eyes open to and what can be done to keep yourself on the right track? Here’s all you need to know.
Getting your work done
WFH schemes can provide flexibility. This is great when trying to juggle work with parenting, homemaking, and side projects. However, the perceived freedom can also be your worst enemy. Reading this guide on how to stay productive when working from home should be considered essential for every WFH worker. After all, a lull in productivity will only harm your ability to climb the career ladder. And the problems are even worse if you’re a contractor or small business owner working for yourself.
If you work for an employer, don’t be afraid to request the tools or products needed to thrive. Otherwise, your workflow will stay limited and your output will suffer.
Enjoying a work-life balance
When working from home, it can feel as though work never stops. Therefore, you must invest time in creating a better work-life balance. For starters, you should create a clear workspace so that you can physically and mentally shut yourself away from work when needed. Meeting other people can be quite testing, and the pandemic doesn’t help there. Using 60 minute chat lines may be ideal for single people. The prospect of love is sure to put you in a better frame of mind, which can also influence your work.
Even if you love your work, it’s important that you learn to work to live. Millions of people are guilty of living to work. If you are one of them, it has to stop.
Being financially worse off
Working from home can save you money in some areas. For example, you will no longer need to pay for commuting. However, you will find that your electricity and energy bills rise. Moreover, you may lose out on some of the perks you’d get in the office, such as the coffee machine. Individually, they are all small issues. Cumulatively, though, they can dent a hole in your pocket. As such, you must look to find any potential reimbursements that can be gained through your employer or tax relief schemes. Frankly, you shouldn’t be made to lose money due to the new way of working.
Of course, you should also check to confirm that your earnings have increased in line with the latest living cost hikes.
Staying driven
Being productive isn’t the only key step that will help you climb the career ladder. You must also want it. Nobody else is going to hand you the opportunities to earn more money or gain more responsibilities. Only you can do that. Sadly, many WFH workers fall into a comfort zone. You can break this by remaining eager to take training courses and develop new skills. When you WFH, attending staff events and annual meetings can be immensely useful too. Staying relevant in the minds of decision makers is crucial.
If nothing else, it will keep you engaged with the work. This can help you unlock your full potential in the immediate and long-term future.
Were any of these tips useful for you? Are you working from home at the moment?
*Collaborative post. For more information on what this means, please see my Disclaimer
Add your comment