How Pinnacle Work From Home

For more information on how Pinnacle are handling COVID-19, please see our blog: Company Update: COVID-19

Working from home is a big change for some of us and in this blog, we want to share some of our experiences and tips for remote working and the benefits it can have for your new working day.

Set a schedule

As tempting as it is to sit in PJs all day (trust me we know) it does not put you in a good mindset for a full day’s work. Waking up and going to bed at your normal time, getting dressed into sensible clothing and starting work on the dot will help you keep to a structured work pattern and feeling normal. You do not want to be caught out half asleep in a onesie for your Teams meeting on a Monday morning! So, write a plan for the day to keep focused and create small goal posts to meet at certain points of the day. Communication is key to staying positive, especially as customers can tell when you are smiling on the phone!

Distinguish your office space from your home space

It is important for mental wellbeing that a dedicated workspace is distinguished away from the rest of the house, especially the bedroom. As well as having a separate space for work, keeping it decluttered is essential for productivity as untidiness tricks the brain into thinking that work is incomplete, resulting in stress and further procrastination.

If you do not have a separate room for an office, you can still help improve wellbeing by sitting near a window and having plants where possible near your workspace.  Biophilia has many beneficial health properties because bright colours can improve memory and encourage creative thinking. Below we have an example of Raf and Dan’s home offices which are both kept very neat!

Have background noise

Moving away from a space where you are used to hearing sounds of the printer running, the screech of the coffee machine and the hum of Raf’s computer to the sounds of kids chattering in the background or complete silence is a weird transition. Replicating background noise through listening to music or having the TV on can help you feel less lonely and more comfortable for longer periods of solitary work.

Make time to have breaks

You wouldn’t sit at your screen all day in the office, so don’t do it at home! Getting up to make a cup of tea or coffee (even though it’s not as good as the coffee machine at work), or a quick phone call are small ways to help refresh your brain and keep you focused. Unless you are quarantined, going for a fresh walk outside in your lunch break is important to help clear your mind and have a change of scene!

Continue to socialise on the phone, on video chat or with your pet!

Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean you should shut off from socialisation. Talking to your colleagues on the phone and over video calls are accessible ways to connect to your teammates and add some normality to your working day. Whilst working from home isn’t always ideal, pets are always happy to see their owners at home more. Some pets, like Gilly’s dog Louis, has embraced his owner working from home, others, like Amy’s cat Spike, have not!

Once your workday is finished turn off the computer

Plan for what tasks you want completed for the day and anything not finished can roll over to the next day so that you have a schedule already in place for the morning. But once it is the end of the day it is important to switch off and turn off any notifications in order to maintain a positive work/life balance.

From all of us at Pinnacle, stay safe, positive and take each day at a time.