Many people have had to adapt their usual routines to work from home due to the coronavirus. In the past, working from home was an added benefit; today, it has become a necessity for many employees in the financial sector.

Working from home can be very advantageous if several of aspects are taken into account:

A good work rhythm is everything: leverage your most productive hours

Working from home reduces commute times to the office, a valuable period for those employees whose job performance is best early in the day. Another key aspect of this type of work is the flexible working hours, which make for a better work/life balance. This time management has a direct impact on the quality of work.

Plan your schedule carefully at the start of the day

At first, it may be difficult to deal with work issues in an environment where you are not used to working. For this reason, you should set your tasks for the day and write them down. Self-discipline and a daily task plan will keep your goals from blurring and help you achieve better performance.

Try to avoid the distractions around you

Pets, food, children, co-workers can be the perfect combination to make it impossible for you to finish what you wanted or to focus when you need it the most. To maintain productivity, you need to disconnect from distractions until you complete your most urgent and prioritize work tasks.

Inform your co-workers about your availability during your working day

Every time you need a break, or you leave, change the status of your availability so that your co-workers, managers or reports know when you are available. Take scheduled breaks so you can re-focus whenever you feel you need to. Conversely, if your working day has ended, spend that time creating sports or recreational routines of interest to you, and which help you stay active.

It is essential to know when it is time to turn off your computer and spend time for yourself

Maintain dynamic communication with the rest of your team

Share and exchange your progress with the rest of the team through Google Hangouts and Cisco WebEx video conferences. This way, everyone can continue to maintain a good work dynamic and collaborate on common projects even when you are outside the corporate environment.

According to a study by experts at Stanford GSB, employees working at home are 13 per cent more productive than those who go to the office every day. It seems clear that the traditional face-to-face work scheme has changed in favour of a model-based primarily on technology.

Making positive changes in the workplace leads to improvements that are reflected in employee performance.