How to Stay Productive in a Work from Home Setting as the Pandemic Continues?

The current COVID-19 pandemic has been drastically affecting several industries. There’s no doubt in asserting that our lives, be it personal or professional, have completely changed amid the health crisis. While there are employees who have lost their jobs due to their industries’ downfall, some fortunate workers are given the option to work from home. 

Though the idea of working from the comfort of your home seems like a tempting offer, anyone would have jumped onto the opportunity during the pre-COVID period. 

But things are quite different now. We cannot deny that creativity, efficiency, and productivity come in a certain environment that only your physical workspace can provide you. So, evidently, there are plenty of downfalls in the working-from-home scenario. 

If you are also struggling to find that balance in your new remote work setup, then this article can be helpful for you to understand how you can pump up your productivity when working from home. So, let’s get started. 

How Is COVID-19 Driving Workers to Stay Home?

With social distancing protocols in place, and with the rise of cases despite restrictions in public gatherings and crowding in offices, working from home is the most practical solution. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven companies to shift their workforce virtually in order to stay in business.

However, while a remote workforce is an effective way to continue working, it is not without challenges, which we will discuss in detail later on. To work in harmony with your team and to communicate efficiently with your employer, you need an effective tool in place. 

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has emerged as a potent solution to many of these communication barriers. Working in virtual teams has become the new normal, for which you need adequate connectivity, and VoIP systems are making it possible. 

As organisations embrace the new normal, feature-rich VoIP phone systems are high in demand. Whether it’s for team collaboration or virtual meetings, VoIP has been proven to be helpful. 

So, if you are an employer who is managing a virtual team, it’s important to adopt VoIP phone systems into your remote work setup. 

What Are the Struggles That Can Hinder Your Work Productivity at Home?

There are plenty of challenges that are creating obstacles in the productivity level of workers at home. Here, we present some of the common yet significant struggles that are impacting the creativity and efficiency of remote workers. 

1. Miscommunication

When you are not physically present in an office and not around your team, this might pose significant hindrances in team communication. Without a proper communication system in place, this may lead to miscommunication and errors. This is a high-impacting issue that’s largely witnessed during this transition to a remote work setting. 

2. Lack of Focus

Believe it or not, irrespective of how hard you try, your home will remain a distracting place for you to work. Even if you try to create a proper workstation in your room, it’s not a guarantee that you can focus, especially with family members at home 24/7.

It is therefore highly essential to find ways to increase your productivity and to stay focused all the time during work. 

3. Time Management

When you work in your home, you might not be able to remain punctual all the time. There will be no stringent work hours and office superiors present that will bind you to your office chair. 

This leads to poor time management and unproductivity. You might find yourself indulged in other household matters that will disrupt your workflow and concentration. 

4. Technology Malfunctions

This is something that you cannot avoid. Be it your laptop, peripherals, or any other software, technical malfunctions can put your work at a halt. This can highly impact your work. 

As opposed to working in an office, you can instantly get it fixed with an on-site technician’s help. But at home, things are difficult and it may take time for your office to arrange the repair and replacement of your malfunctioning work tools.

5. Inefficient Team Coordination

To get optimal results, it is essential to coordinate with your team and get things done at the earliest time possible. When you work at a home office, however, you might find it difficult to communicate with remote team members. 

This can be blamed on network issues, poor time coordination, or miscommunication. Without the right tools, working with a team is certainly difficult in a home setup. 

6. Overworking

This is directly related to poor time management. When you work in an office, you know when to start and when to stop. When you are at home, however, you might find yourself overworking every day for various reasons. This is something you need to take charge of and personally manage on your end. 

7. Loneliness and Boredom

When you work in your office, you are surrounded by your co-workers who create a lively space to work in. You will certainly miss that surrounding when you’re working from home.

The loneliness that comes with working independently in a remote setup, however, can be resolved by a good team communication tool, such as a VoIP phone system.

How Do You Stay Productive in a Work from Home Setting?

While there are certainly challenges of working from home, there are also several ways on how you can stay productive. 

1. Use Reliable VoIP Software

Communicating and collaborating with your team is a crucial aspect of making things easier for remote workers. VoIP software and virtual team collaboration tools are perfect solutions to all the issues we discussed. 

VoIP software, like VoIPTech’s Wave and Communicator, ensure that the teams of a particular organisation are always connected wherever they are. With features like team conferencing, coordinated messages and emails, voicemail, etc., these facilitate better teamwork, even in a remote setting. 

2. Create a Dedicated Working Space

One of the most effective ways to bring productivity and efficiency to your work is to create a creative and dedicated workspace in your home. Try to replicate your office setup as much as you can. 

Set up a desk, not just a kitchen counter, and include things that keep you motivated. Convert a room into your office and see how it heightens your productivity. 

3. Plan Your Entire Day

Planning is key to remote-work productivity. As you don’t have stringent working hours at home, you would need better planning to get through the day. 

When you wake up in the morning or the night before, make a plan on your priorities for the day and write it down when you sit on your desk. This way, you can ensure you efficiently utilise your time throughout the day. 

4. Use Upgraded Equipment

The issue of technical malfunctions can only be prevented by using upgraded equipment and software. 

It is always best to download the latest updates and use the most recent hardware models to keep you away not only from malfunctions but also from security issues that may pose a huge threat to your company’s data. 

5. Regular Communication with Colleagues

When you create a workspace at home, you also need to create an efficient communication channel. 

By using reliable VoIP systems, you can always stay connected with your team members and get an efficient working ambience. Regular communication with colleagues is not only for work-related matters but also to clear out the loneliness and boredom of remote work. 

6. Prioritise Your Tasks

When you plan your day, it is highly essential to prioritise. Start by prioritising the most important tasks at the top and the least at the bottom. This way, you can ensure that you work efficiently throughout the day and complete the tasks with ease. 

7. Have Social Breaks

You cannot work continuously throughout the day and expect productivity. Whether you work at home or in an office, you need to get social breaks in between to balance out your workflow. 

Between the social breaks, you can connect with your team members via VoIP, have a snack, or do whatever you please to lighten the mood. With regular social breaks, you can perk up your creativity. 

Boost Your Productivity Whilst Working from Home with VoIP

Working from home was everyone’s dream before COVID-19. Now that nearly everyone is forced to work from their homes, the reality hit that it’s not all rainbows. 

There are plenty of challenges that workers need to overcome in order to establish a productive working pattern at home. From technical malfunctions to poor team collaboration, it can bring major setbacks if the right attitude and the proper communication tools are not in place. 

VoIP phone systems are a reliable solution to many of the problems related to virtual-work collaboration, efficiency, and productivity. However, it is also important to choose an equally reliable VoIP provider to make things more seamless. 

VoIPTech Solutions is among the best and most trusted in the telephony and communication industry, offering two affordable and easy-to-set-up VoIP offerings: Wave and Communicator: 

• Wave is a brilliant VoIP phone system that facilitates quick communication, with less downtime. With features like call forwarding, conferencing, and forwarding, Wave will make communication easier. 
• Communicator is a feature-rich unified communication system that offers multiple ways to communicate, such as video and audio conferencing, internet fax, personal dialer, and more.

Work from home with ease and better productivity with VoIP! To know more about our offerings, email us at [email protected] or call us on 0203 745 0201.