The recommendations to work from home wherever possible has thrown many businesses into a spin with how to manage this on a number of different levels. At Timely, we have always had a remote working model, where going into an office to collaborate with colleagues is an event!

“Remote working is all about balance. Or more accurately, it’s a work/life blend. Think of it more as a work/life cocktail, rather than a set of work/life scales” – Ryan Baker, Co-founder and CEO, Timely.

• At Timely we have always recognised that flexibility in how our people ran their days was one of the keys to having an engaged and fulfilled workforce. This is even more true now. Maybe putting in some extra hours in the evening after the children have gone to bed gives you the chance to spend that extra time with them during the day.
• Having said that keep to a routine that works for you and your business include break times.
• For some people, working from home is the option to lounge around in the PJ’s for the day, but long term, for me personally I don’t think this is a good idea. Doing my makeup and hair plus putting on casual but still “working clothes” sets me up mentally for the day.

Physically we have the following tips:

• A good chair and desk/table recreating the office environment is a big plus. I avoid working on the sofa.
• Set aside a work area in the house if you can, otherwise get in the habit of packing the equipment up at night.
• Remove distractions, does music or the TV distract you? Turn it off.

Managing remoteness and isolation:

• Embrace technology. If you are a Technophobe, maybe getting online and taking one of the many courses will help.
• For work teams, Timely uses Slack. This is our virtual office space where we can connect to anyone in our team. It’s quick and easy, we use it for one-to-one direct messages, voice calls, or messages within the team.
• We use Zoom or Google Meet for virtual meetings, where face-to-face contact online is required. This is very effective for one-on-one calls, where your computer screen can be shared for collaboration on projects.
• Take a break away from your screen. Where ever possible, go for a walk outside and enjoy the sunshine, I am getting my garden ship shape in my lunch break! (If you don’t have access to a garden, remember to keep it to once a day when exercising outdoors and follow government regulations)
• Have FUN with your colleagues. Along with the serious work related Slack channel, we have hobby channels where we can share cat memes, banter, or just support one another in these strange times.
• Virtual drinks after work have fast become one of our favourite times and we do this via Zoom. We are going to do an online pub quiz this Friday and last week it was virtual wine and cheese or beer and pizza!