I start my day with a video call that replaces our usual stand-up. This works quite well, to be honest! Most colleagues don’t just share their audio, but they also switch on their camera. So I’ve had glimpses into their home offices, and got to meet their partners and pets.
This start of the day makes it easier to pick up the phone and discuss that one assignment later on. And keeping in touch with each other makes working from home more efficient and enjoyable.
I always make sure that everything around me is tidy before I start working. After all, I can’t get distracted by a mess if there is no mess. It also means that I can switch on my camera during video calls without having to worry about whether the background of the call reflects poorly on me.
I share the living room of my compact inner city apartment with my boyfriend, who has to make a lot of calls for his work. I don’t have noise-cancelling headphones, but a regular pair of headphones and the ‘Classical Music for Working & Concentration’ playlist on YouTube works wonders for my concentration.
If in any way possible, I try to do most of my meetings with my webcam on. It’s really helpful to see the responses of the people you’re talking to. And it’s also quite fun to get a glimpse of everybody’s living spaces.
When I’m at the office, I prefer to talk to someone directly, rather than send them an email or a message.
How I try to handle this now that I’m working from home? I call colleagues with our internal communication tool, Slack, and ask them if they’d like to have a video call. By doing this, I don’t feel like I’m working alone. And it makes communicating a lot easier! And if I want to share something on a website or in a CMS? Then I just share my screen. Really useful!
At Crossphose, those working from home stay connected through Slack. In our #wishyouwerehere channel we share everything, from healthy lunch tips and tips on how to create a DIY standing desk to 1-minute workouts.
Thanks to the video connection, you can’t just have a business meeting, but you can also have lunch together. And even our customary after work drinks on Friday are still on!