How to master working from home

Working from home is different compared to working in an office. Consequently, we need different skills to work successfully from home.

It is important to set-up certain rules for communication upfront. In which cases do you write an e-mail? When is a short message or a call more appropriate? Discuss this with your team and find a solution that suits everybody’s needs. One person may prefer a short call over an E-Mail, while another team member values e-mails more in order to reread certain things. Having an open discussion about this can help make working from home more productive and enjoyable. An additional challenge when working from home are the different roles one has to switch between. The normally more or less separated roles as a parent, partner and employee are suddenly all merged together. During calls, children will walk in while the partner is in another meeting. This situation will never happen when working in a normal office. Managing these different roles also requires clear communication and boundaries.