How to keep your newly crowded home office productive

Working from home suddenly got crowded. New practices for multiple people remote working or learning from one location are in order. As work safety protocols for Covid-19 are activated, many are adjusting to their first work from home situation or an extended remote work scenario. The many remote work and virtual team best practices focus on one adult. The challenge is to adapt those recommendations to a couple, family, or group all working simultaneously from a residential setting.

The Kitchen Is Not the Break Room

A friend shared a new experience where she was working in their kitchen and her partner came in and filled his cup from the refrigerator ice dispenser. CLINK! CLINK! CHUNK! CLINK! People in her meeting started asking what was happening because of the noise. Others have experienced kids barging in and talking loudly and banging around pans or dishes, while they are focused or in a meeting. Establish rules for common areas:

• Agree to shared “break times” if kitchen is now dedicated work space
• Post friendly signs around kitchen doorways as reminders
• Use mute button to control background noise when possible

Above all, be considerate that everyone is working in a shared space in a new way. Your snack or drink can probably wait a bit until it won’t impact others.

Hold Work from Home On-boarding

Most jobs include an on-boarding for day one to cover workplace expectations, dress codes, schedules, and where to find supplies. If your home is a temporary shared virtual team hub, hold an on-boarding to mitigate future misunderstandings.

• Define work/school hours for each person
• Agree to work/school “zones” in the space
• Identify what is shared resource and what is not (phones, monitors, keyboards, printers, etc.)
• Set code of conduct reflecting mutual respect

It’s important that adults and kids alike have a clear and shared understanding of expectations.

Sounds of Silence… or a Meeting

My husband requires space for quiet confidential calls. In contrast, my job entails back-to-back team calls, often using web cameras. For school, our daughter is using a speaker on her tablet to attend live classes. We can’t meet all of these sound requirements in a single space. Options to consider when each person works differently:

• Go to your corner. Each person has a dedicated work space no one else uses. Respect boundaries.
• Use Technology. Bluetooth headsets, noise canceling headphones, USB headsets are all options. Use audio technology to control sound needs.
• Adjust schedules. There may not be space for multiple work areas. Look at options for one person doing calls earlier or later so as to not overlap.

Dress For Your Day

If everyone is in business suits and school uniforms while sitting in the living room, it’s a bit much. But you should be dressed for the responsibilities of the day and not in your old sweats. If web cameras are in use, the meeting topic shouldn’t be “why are you wearing that 1996 National Championship hat?” 

• Dress for public and not for the gym.
• Model good habits for your “co-workers” be those roommates, partners or kids.

When you take work from home seriously, it is a good example for your kids and sets a tone for other adults with whom you are sharing the work from home area.

Keep Calm and Be Flexible

You are not alone in facing uncertainty and changes in all aspects of your routines. Use the techniques that work for you to manage stress; you could include those in your Work from Home On-boarding. 

The home office may feel crowded with different people conducting work and school simultaneously. Steps can be taken to support each other during this shared time of a global health event. In all things treat others as you wish to be treated.

And don’t start that microwave popcorn during their big client presentation. 

Go Forth and Be Awesome!