Working from home can be a big benefit to employees, offering them flexibility and freedom to manage their own time.
As of 2023, around 44% of UK workers are engaged in some form of remote work, including hybrid and full-time remote working. Specifically, 16% of UK workers work exclusively from home, while 28% follow a hybrid work model where they split their time between home and the office. Looking ahead, the trend towards remote work is expected to continue growing. By the end of 2025, projections indicated that 39% of global workers, including those in the UK, would be working in a hybrid model. This shift is supported by the growing number of UK employers offering remote work options, with over half providing some form of remote working arrangement as of 2023
However, it is not easy to transition from working in an office to becoming a remote worker. Some challenges perhaps don’t seem obvious at first glance. We’ve put together some top tips to consider during the transition to remote working, tips which will remain relevant if you’re to thrive away from the office.
Stay Active
Smash Your to Do List rates inactivity as one of the biggest drawbacks when working from home. Without a commute and having an office or desk in your home, you can lose thousands of steps per day.
It’s important to make sure you add activities into your day. Walking a dog is a good start, or even buying a watch to track your steps and hitting a daily target. Make sure you take plenty of breaks from your desk and maybe even schedule a post-work work out as well.
Have a Working Space
As a remote worker, you won’t be able to just sit on your couch all day replying to emails; you need to separate the working space from the living space as much as possible. Working Solutions explains how one of the secrets to being productive when you work from home is having a dedicated workspace.
Make it somewhere away from the main house if possible, in a room that can be closed off at the end of the day. A danger of remote working is a tendency to not shut off, something a dedicated working space can help to manage.
Work Out of Home Periodically
Coworking spaces have blown up around the globe recently, with flexible workers still looking to enter spaces with other people to do their jobs. Queensland Uncovered recently demonstrated their popularity with a list of ten on the Gold Coast, but they’re becoming popular across not only Australia, but the whole world.
Industrious notes how even in big cities like Chicago, businesses are turning to the flexibility and convenience of coworking spaces to meet their needs. Lisbon, Portugal is becoming something of a coworking mecca too, with digital nomads setting up home there due to its reputation as a coworking hotspot.
Find a space near your and make sure you’re there every so often to help make remote working more social and varied.
Establish a Routine
It is tempting to keep the flexibility remote working offers you at the core of your working day, but in order to be most effective it is advisable to set yourself a routine.
It will help you with time management and ensure that being at home isn’t a distraction. It is easy, in weaker moments, to turn away from the office and into your home for a few moments, but in having a set routine to stick to you can increase your productivity.
Make sure you have a morning routine too, much like leaving the house for a commute. It will help establish boundaries for you to work within.
