With office workers being told to #WorkFromHome employers seem very keen to pass on tips for how to do it.  Interestingly, the people who do it regularly are rarely asked for their advice. So here are some thoughts and tips for employers as well as new home workers.

 

Tip No. 1 for managers: trust your staff. They probably know how to do their job and don't need micromanaging or check-ins every 20 minutes. Timetabled calls and clear plans are fine - everyone welcomes clear direction and constructive review.

 

Tip No. 1 for new home workers. It's OK to mute notifications.  If you are lucky enough to be able to get into a state of flow whilst working, you can do without the buzz and distraction of chat messages. Every interruption is going to take about 20 minutes to recover from.

 

Tip No. 2 for managers. Don't be frightened that your lack of direct supervision will make you irrelevant or in some way invalidate your purpose. If you are any good at management, you will be respected more by trusting and empowering your team.

 

Tip 2 for managers continued. Research shows that empowerment results in better business outcomes (my good friend  @TheBritishPsych can tell you more about that). You might find your team becoming even more productive and you will be a hero. Of course, if you do want to micromanage and over monitor under really stressful times, your team's performance will drop, you will lose respect and credibility and will rightly be considered an arse

 

Tip 2 for home workers. Put yourself and family first. You will find a way to work and come up with routines that will work for you. The complications of suddenly becoming home educators don't help and it may take a week or two to adapt. At the end of this, managers and workers might want to rethink the working dynamic. This is an opportunity to learn a lot about individual working styles and how to accommodate them for the benefit of all. Orthodoxy in management and office use might be challenged. 

 

If people are given a view of an alternative way of working that turns out to be productive and more humane, why would you bother to go back to the old ways? You wouldn't expect a freed battery hen put back in her cage to perform, and be grateful for it.

 

Evolution is often a gradual process, but massive change applies the greatest selection pressure. Those that can adapt and adjust to new circumstances will fill the voids left by the dinosaurs. T. rex was top of the tree once

 

Tip No.3 for managers: don't be T. rex!