Home WorkingA Guide From Polycom

101

Working from home is on the up, and employers are seeing

the advantages of giving employees flexibility. So in order for

remote working to increasingly be available to those who

need flexible working hours, there are a few key things to

consider to ensure home o�ce working is simple and

productive.

Polycom has put together some top tips to make sure you

make the most of working from home and getting the right

work-life balance.

Home Working 101

Fast, reliable, responsive; you can’t be any of these without an internet service that’s all three of

them. First and foremost make sure you’ve got a strong wireless connection in your home. If you

can’t get a guaranteed strong signal from your router to your home o�ce, invest in a pair of net

plugs.

Internet Connection

Which devices and hardware are compatible with your company’s IT setup? How do you access

shared files? What’s the protocol for security/general issues? It’s these types of questions that

are easy to bypass in the excitement of transitioning to a home o�ce. So before you do make

this transition, to avoid ending up back in the o�ce resolving these issues – speak to your IT

department.

Get help to set-up the relevant connections and software to ensure you can get stuck in on

your first day in your new home o�ce.

Ensure you’ve sorted your security – most employers have approved methods of how to

transfer important data. Make sure you’re clear on these and adhere to the guidelines.

Test-run the equipment and setups before your first day at home, so you can get straight to

work and avoid any last-minute questions.

Talk to the Techs

Home Working 101

We all know the obvious key ingredients to working from home – a PC, a phone, a

kettle... However we’ve suggested few additional pieces of equipment or technology to

consider. Prevention is better than cure, so get ahead of the game to ensure you don’t

stumble upon unexpected problems further down the line.

Get the right equipment Get set up with a good webcam and video conferencing service – this not only reduces costs and travel

time, but it means you can still be part of the team community. It’ll help stimulate your brain and keep you

connected with the team – both on a work and social level. Check out if your o�ce has Microsoft Lync or

the means to connect via instant message and video – after all seeing a smiling face, is clinically proven

to improve your mood.

Make sure you get a booster if your o�ce is further away from the router to save you ending up hunched

next to a high signal spot. It also means you can get consistent signal throughout the house and even on

your patio, weather permitting.

Have a back-up plan – get a dongle or ensure your phone/tablet has 3G or 4G mobile data so you’re

never stuck without a way to connect.

Invest in a sound-cancelling headset or noiseblock facilities so that when you have video collaboration

sessions you can avoid background noise such as children or pets, from interrupting the conversation. It’s

also worth checking out Polycom’s new Acoustic Bubble, which automatically engages the microphone

when you’re talking, and mutes it when you’re not, similarly avoiding interruptions.

Divert personal calls so you can use your phone as a work phone during working hours – it’s possible to

do this with an android phone now too.

Video Conferencing

Booster

Dongle / 3G / 4G

Headset

Divert

Good lighting is important for your eyes, attitude and video conferencing. Invest in a good desk lamp and

check how you look in “self-view” on your video system, so you can make adjustments before you start a

call.

Light

Home Working 101

Home Working 101

When working from home, the challenge is getting the balance between tailoring the day to your

most productive state, while also maintaining structure and discipline. This might take a few

weeks to get right, so don’t panic and don’t be afraid to try out di�erent schedules in the first

couple of weeks – many people begin by working more hours than they would in the o�ce

when they shift to a home o�ce setup, but actually remote workers more productive in the same

amount of time as their o�ce-based counterparts. Before you start working from your home

o�ce, to make sure its projecting an image of professionalism, ask someone you trust to check

out what they think – they’ll often see or hear something you haven’t.

Daily structure

Firstly talk to any other inhabitants of your home what’s possible and establish ground rules

during your working hours. This not only avoids distractions, but also keeps your work and

home life separate.

Schedule in proper breaks, and make sure they involve getting up and doing something

active – separate those break periods from your o�ce – go for a walk, cook a Jamie’s

30-minute meal or read the news. Use your breaks to be creative and take your mind away

from what you’ve been doing so you can go back to your o�ce refreshed and ready to

work.

Organise video calls to keep updated at both ends – you need to be as available as you

would be if you were in the o�ce. It’s also an important way to keep up morale and

motivation on a face-to-face level, not just for yourself but for your team.

Once your working day is over, detach yourself from the home o�ce – get out of the house

for five minutes and then walk back into your house as your home,not your o�ce.

Home Working 101

Research has shown there are a number of other things you can do to make the most of working

from home:

Colour

Keep your home o�ce colourful – or at least your socks. Statistics show that blue helps to calm

you down. Researchers from the University of Sussex exposed volunteers to a range of colours

and light. Those exposed to colour completed tests up to 25 per cent quicker.

Music

Don’t be fooled by the myths of music – recent research has shown that silence is key for

best results. However other researchers say it’s only music with lyrics that cause distraction

and that the “Mozart E�ect” (songs without lyrics) improves working

A study by the University of Miami found IT specialists who listened to music completed

tasks more quickly and came up with better ideas than those who didn't

Essentially this is something you’ll have to experiment with yourself to work out what works

best for you

Blue and green boost men’s happiness

Blue, purple and orange boost women’s happiness

Home Working 101

Meditation

Re-train your mind to deliver better results in the time you work by setting aside a short

meditation session. Why not also create a mantra, which translates literally as “that which

protects the mind”

Be sociable, but not necessarily social

Research by PlosOne suggests that frequent use of Facebook makes you unhappy

Limit your time for using your personal social media account to your break times

Get a pet

Medical studies on the human-animal bond show that having a pet reduces stress levels,

cholesterol levels, blood pressure and improves the condition of your heart – pet owners

experience fewer heart attacks than those without

Women in particular benefit from pet dogs

It also gets you out and about during your break and gets you exercising

And for those times you’re not working from home, you can video call your pet..

Home Working 101

Now you’re all set to work from home, from internet connection to

what colour socks to wear. You can be sure you’ll have a smooth

transition to your new home o�ce.

Got any other tips or pics on working from home?

Tweet us @PolycomEurope using #homeo�ces.

Happy home working!