‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’. It’s a saying we’ve all heard, (and these days it applies to Englishwomen too).  Just imagine if we could pull up a drawbridge and keep the world outside But for lots of us today, our home is also is our workplace.

Working from home sounds like a dream – no bleary-eyed morning commute, no expensive season ticket for the train or frequent fill-ups at the petrol station, no-one glaring if you come in late.  But it can bring its own problems and pitfalls for the unwary.

 

So  – if you’re already sitting in your office-at-home, or just considering the possibility, here are Carpet Bright UK’s tips for happy home-working.

 

• Know your work-style. First of all – does home-working really suit you? It can get lonely: there no chats with co-workers over coffee and no office jokes to make the time go by. You need to be independent and a self-starter with the discipline to keep yourself going

• Make a boundary between ‘office stuff’ and ‘home stuff’ – and keep to it.  If you were in your company building you wouldn’t stop to load the washing machine. Or hang out the clothes. Or pay your bills online. Or wash the dog. The list goes on. Being in your house can be very distracting – you need to keep focussed

• Set working hours and make them a habit – just as if your boss was really watching you

• Be social media savvy. Yes, Facebook is fun, but it’s a thief of time!  It’s easier not to start than it is to stop

• Make sure you ‘go to work’:  OK, you don’t have to wear a suit or high-heeled shoes, but you won’t feel professional if you sit down in your pyjamas.  Get dressed and be groomed and tidy before you get on the phone to clients: if you feel business-like, you’ll sound business-like

• Consider your environment: you might not have a lot of space but even a desk in the corner or a nook under the stairs can become a smart home office.  If you work on the sofa, or pile your stuff in a corner, you could end up losing important documents.  So buy or borrow an in-tray and some attractive storage boxes and files to keep your job things tidy, well-organised and – crucially – separate

• Make sure your family understands that you’re at work and can’t be interrupted.  You might need to explain this carefully to younger ones, and do so more than once.  A catchphrase can be helpful: ‘Pretend you can’t see mummy!’ works well. Then, as a joke, when you finish for the day, shout ‘Honey, I’m home!’ to let everyone know that you’re ‘back’

• Make sure you stop.  A real downside to working from home –particularly if you love your job – can be overdoing it. If you work all the time, there’s a danger of burn-out

• When you’re working from home, it’s super-important to make sure it’s a healthy, as well as a clean and attractive, place to do business. A professional clean from Carpet Bright UK ensures that your carpets, rugs and home furnishing are free from dirt and pollutants which can reduce air quality and trigger hay fever, asthma and other allergies.  We use safe, pet-friendly, environmentally friendly specialist products which will leave your office-at-home feeling fresh, clean  – and most definitely open for business.

 

There are Carpet Bright UK offices across London, Surrey and Kent. To find out your nearest branch, click here or call 020 3011 5590. We will be delighted to discuss your needs with you.

We currently offer London, Surrey, Kent, Essex, East Sussex, West Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex & Hampshire.