As the academic year begins to wind down, many students both in school, college and at university will be turning their focus to the next steps in their careers – whether that be an Apprenticeship, Full Time Job, Internship, Placement, or Graduate Scheme. And whilst students have adjusted to remote teaching over the past year, many will also enter the world of work facing the prospect of returning to the office, remote working (working from home) or even what is known as a ‘hybrid’ approach to work.
What is hybrid working?
Hybrid working refers to utilising a mixture of office working and remote working for the workforce. It’s the best of both worlds, as you get the experience of the office and reduce the morning commute from just your bed to your desk.
Best tips for remote working
Working remotely isn’t as scary as it might seem! It is important to remember that everyone is different and that it takes time to find what works best for you. We’ve outlined some top tips you could utilise when you start working from home!
Make lists
This one can be a huge life saver and trust me it’s been a game changer for me. Creating lists can do wonders for your time management as it is easy to visualise tasks and help compare them to one another, helping you to allocate sufficient time to do the tasks to high quality and in a suitable time. It can also prevent you from forgetting tasks – no matter how big or small there is no worse feeling than someone asking if you’ve done something, only to realise you completely forgot!
Planning!
Plan tomorrow before you finish today – one of the best ways to guarantee a productive day at work. Planning your next day’s work towards the end of the previous day is a great way to hit the ground running in the morning as it creates a flowing first hour of the day which can really set the tone for the next few hours. It can also really help to avoid sitting there twiddling your thumbs and prevent procrastination.
Practice your note-taking
One huge thing I found helpful was being able to note take quickly but also neatly. Chances are lots of your communication will be done over video calls, where you will be assigned tasks – don’t get into the habit of being assigned a task and saying to yourself “I’ll remember that”. Make sure to write all the important details down so you don’t forget them when you come to doing the task later in the week.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
This one can often be easier said than done, but don’t ever feel like you are annoying someone by frequently asking them questions. Have a quick 60 second think as to whether you can solve the issue yourself, otherwise sending an email or message asking for help is much better than doing a task poorly or incorrectly later down the line. Besides, you’re not going to have all the answers, and learning from others by asking questions will do wonders for growing your skillset!
Ask questions!
Both previous points link together – especially when you are being assigned a task. Ask plenty of questions about anything you are unsure about. No detail is too small to be missed out. A good general rule of thumb you could adopt, is to ask questions to the point where I can then go on to explain the task to someone else. This means I have a perfect understanding and increases the chances of the task being done correctly first time around.
Remember your breaks
Working remotely means you are also in charge of your time management – we could go on all day about how to manage your time at work, but for now we’ll just touch on your breaks.
Make sure you look after yourself and avoid burning out. Depending on how much break you are allocated, plan your day beforehand and set out a time in your day to have a break so you have time to recharge. It is so easy to get to 15:00 and realise you’ve forgotten to take a lunch break because you’ve been buried in work – your afternoon productivity will increase much more if you take a lunch break, and you’ll feel much better for it.
Get to know your colleagues
Getting to know those you work with is so much easier when you are in the office, but that shouldn’t stop you getting to know everyone virtually! Be sure to interact with your colleagues over video calls, email or instant messaging and engage with them!
It may also take longer to break down barriers with people and get to know them more personally – recognising that this can take longer when working remotely is important in building solid bonds with colleagues.
Maintain a normal routine
Having a daily routine, mainly your morning routine, is a perfect way to boost your productivity, mood, and your attitude towards remote working. It can help give your day much needed structure, which improves your performance and gets you in the mindset that you are working.
Not sure what you’ll be doing?
There is no need to worry. Especially as of the time of writing this, there is still lots of uncertainty with restrictions so it isn’t uncommon for businesses to currently be unsure what they will be doing in several months’ time. Whether you’ve already got your start date, or in the middle of applying for a job, our best advice is to just ask! Find a way to get in touch with the business and ask any questions if you are unsure!
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Comments currently closed. Tough break.