WORKING REMOTELY DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EVEN REMOTELY REMOTE!

Why Remote Working is Better Than Office working

As someone who’s worked remotely for the best part of 20 years (the last 13 of those from Ibiza) the idea of going into an office daily fills me with abject horror – the constant din of multiple phone conversations, the continual ducking off for coffee, lunchtime queues for damp sandwiches and the sharing of lavatory space…..Eeeeek.

Also, a desk? What is this weird piece of furniture that one places a computer on and taps away at like some muted pianist? In my house this is called a ‘table’ – a largely unutilised piece of furniture that gathers dust and letters. No, not for me. The clue’s in the title – laptop – and my lap is highly portable and flexible so I can work from a sofa, the balcony, bed even.

Technology – The Great Remote Working Enabler

People ask me – do I get lonely. Nope! There’s this thing called technology that enables me to interact constantly with my colleagues, get all the support and input I need, manage my team, strategize, attend meetings, even indulge in a little office banter all from the comfort (and safety) of my own home. I love it – I know I am more productive working remotely by about 30% than working in a loud, crowded and distracting workplace. And yes, I have done the maths.

How Will We Work After the Covid19 Crisis?

So, if Coronavirus COVID-19 has rendered you remote from the office, your colleagues, the desk (did I spell that weird word correctly?) and the commute don’t fret, working from home doesn’t have to be lonely or isolating and you don’t have to feel like you’ve suddenly become some sort of misanthropic hermit on a suburban dessert island. You can still get all the colleague interaction, support from management, issue directives and even build and grow a business by working remotely from home. And who knows, maybe this is the way we will all work in the future saving huge amounts of money on office costs and saving the planet with a much-reduce carbon footprint on the commute alone?

Here’s my dos and don’ts Expert Guide to How to Love Working Remotely From Home:

Don’t stop waking at a working hour, although revel in bed for as long as your usual commute would take. Remember to tell your workplace bound friends of your new morning routine – they love to hear things like that!

Do embrace the video call. This is your link to your colleagues and your support. Warning caveat: see below tip or you’ll be reaching for the gaffer tape every time someone video calls to block your camera, whilst exclaiming in a confused voice that ‘you’ve no idea why it isn’t working today!’

Don’t stop your usual morning ablutions and personal coiffuring – it a slippery and sometimes grimy slope to slobism

Do get the best remote working Apps – you will need Teams or something of that ilk to message, call and file share. Working from home is all about App-titude

Don’t get stressed if it’s all new – take time (maybe a good hour a day initially) to do as many online tutorials as you need. But remember what you learn for yourself will be retained better than if someone shows you…. C’mon we all zone at 30 seconds as boring Brian from IT drones on about the virtues of some new-fangled technology

Do call your colleagues and set-up joint working days. It can be to work on a particular project or just for a bit of company. We grow to love our colleagues so there’s no reason to lose them

Do move about a bit. You’re at home, get comfy, but there’s no need to get desk-bound – get used to lap, as well as desk working

Don’t plonk yourself right in front of the window – too much light is not good for your eyesight. I know this to my detriment (have you seen the photo above? And the sunburn, well….)

Do make sure your business and its home/remote workers have access to the best connectivity that today’s technology can supply – SD-WAN. You will need it to underpin you critical Apps and continuation strategy

Don’t expect a 1970’s calculator to compute the theory of relativity – You must invest in the technology required to keep productivity level, your staff motivated and able to learn and work, and to keep in contact with your customers. My prediction? This particular home working genie isn’t going back in the bottle anytime soon – and I don’t mean me! This awful, frightening situation has shown us just how quickly it can occur – make a long-term investment so that your business can operate in the workplace or remotely in equal measure and at the touch of a button.

Talk to us if you’re experiencing issues with remote working – we genuinely want to help at this current time and although we’ve taken a light-hearted approach to the above blog know this capability can make or break a business. We can set up everything you need to get SD-WAN in your business completely remotely. Test us see how we do it by scoping your own tailored SD-WAN solution here with our unique online tool SDWAN ASSIST

So why use SDWAN Solutions? We only work with world-class SD-WAN vendors and our consultancy services are utilised by many of these vendors for their own customer-base. We’ve been voted in the top ten of UK SD-WAN providers, are award-winning and are proud that our CEO and CTO are the only MEF SD-WAN subject matter experts in the whole of the UK, 2 of 3 in Europe and 2 of 12 globally.. We have created FOUR world-first, tech-giant-beating innovations (SDWAN CLOUD, SDWAN ASSIST [channel], SDWAN ASSIST [direct] and the SDWANofTHINGS – the first ever truly tailored, modular SD-WAN solution.

Like this blog? Why not read some more interesting stuff about how SD-WAN is the network you need for productive remote working

https://www.sdwan-solutions.co.uk/you-cant-change-change-but-you-can-control-control/
https://www.sdwan-solutions.co.uk/guide-to-enabling-remote-working-with-sd-wan/ 

If you’d like to hear more about how SD-WAN can help with your critical business continuation email info@sdwansolutions.co.uk