If you’re new to working from home, you’ll be surprised to learn there are a lot of strong positives about working this way. That said, the name of the game is business efficiency. Workload management, communications, internet services, and all the other work essentials need to be managed smoothly and well.
Working from home, you need reliable sources for all your business needs. The essentials, in particular communications, need to be in good working order, with technical help and backup available as required. It’s critically important that you can access any services you need, when you need them, with minimal delay.
Please note – Working from home is a big departure from the usual business cycles of behaviour. It takes a little getting used to, but it’s easy enough. The major difference is that you’re doing a lot of things which would usually be done in the workplace, including using Content Management Systems, (CMS) for collaborations, business contacts, etc.
Your own skills will help you do most of these added tasks pretty effectively. It’s managing everything that’s tricky, so we have a few tips and tricks for you.
Working from home essentials – Setting up your home workspace
The first and most critical issues in working from home are your workspace and equipment needs.
Do you have:
- A good-size space, preferably quiet and comfortable with distractions at absolute minimum?
- Computer and peripherals?
- Efficient email, internet, and other communications?
- Online security?
- Cloud services?
- Space allocated for work materials like files, etc.?
- Good phone and online services?
- Reliable services like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, Asana, or similar do-everything options?
- A space to meet clients?
- The specialised professional services you require, redirected, or acquired for your home work needs?
- Reporting system(s) for your employer? Don’t overlook this, because it can be a real issue for employer auditing, etc.
Costing your working from home
One of the longest-running, and most controversial, issues related to working from home is operating costs. This is very important – Nail down your costs. Working from home can include a rather extensive shopping list of business needs. The best way to ensure you have everything you need is to systematically identify what’s needed, then source from good suppliers. (Some computer and IT services, including security, those all-important backups, and other essentials can be sourced from a single supplier. It’s a very cost-effective option, well worth exploring.)
Costing should be very straightforward. Pricing shouldn’t be a guessing game. Good sources will give you a clear picture of prices, any added options, and resolve your costs into a single figure. You can also get “expansion” options as your business and/or workload grows.
Practical working from home – The big benefits
With the essentials out of the way, you’ll notice some major positives in working from home:
Time management: You can manage your time a lot better and organise space and living the way you want. The business hours problem is out of the equation. Meetings and other time-consuming processes are also minimised, allowing you to work consistently for longer periods of time. You may find yourself working at odd hours occasionally, but better time management pays for itself.
Workflow: Time and distance management makes a big difference to your workflow management. You’ll find your productivity improves drastically, almost immediately. You can space your work to efficient time segmentation, improving the work conditions for specific work, too.
Cost savings: You can save on your commuting, food at work, and build your budget around lower costs. You can manage your phone, internet, etc. very easily, and the related costs, too.
Business expenses: You can save big money on office rental and operational costs. These costs can be huge and seriously affect the bottom line. It’s well worth costing these values because you can make a big difference to your revenue by moving to working from home.
Personal independence on the job: A traditional workplace can be a personal navigation exercise. When you’re working from home, you can manage yourself much more effectively, without the workplace environment intruding.
Pandemic considerations: Working from home can be considered a no-brainer approach to this tricky issue. In the interests of safeguarding yourself, your business, and associates, working from home makes a lot of sense.
Need some help working from home? Here’s how to get it.
The very good news:
You can get great support for your business systems, IT, and related services whenever you want. The main issue is the quality and range of services. Best practice is to use a one-stop shop service which can cover multiple needs, especially for IT purposes.
These services typically cater to businesses of all types, sizes, and scales. Whether you’re a smaller business or a wide-ranging business with multiple services, a good support service can do it all for you. Costs won’t be a problem. You’ll get a price you can work with.
The slightly trickier but easily manageable news:
If you’re a specialist business or a service provider with a high-maintenance technical load, you need consultants. It’s important to make sure your business is getting everything it needs. Your consultants will go into depth and considerable detail, and make sure you’re properly supported.
This is particularly important if you’re working with upper-end technical needs, big data, or more demanding communications. The support services provide belt-and-suspenders support, including your backups, real-time support, and more, but they have to be absolutely clear about your business needs.
Talk to us
We can help with everything you need. MaxIT is an all-round IT and support service for Australian businesses. We do it all, from core business support to IT services and more. We work with all sizes of business, from big corporations to startups and home businesses every day.
Our friendly team is here to help and provide a quick, dependable range of services for anything you need. If you’re looking at setting up a home business, or trying to find a good single-source support service, talk to us. We’re happy to help with any practical help and guidance you want. Just call us or contact us online anytime!
