10 Ways to Maximize Your Home Office Productivity

by smallbiztrends, Guest Blogger

• Created: March 6, 2014,

 

If you run one of the 14+ million home-based small businesses in the United States, congratulations. You’ve got lower overhead, a shorter commute and the opportunity to be more productive than your office-based competitors.

Still, working from home isn’t all eating peanut butter out of the jar and wearing your fuzzy slippers. There are plenty of pitfalls that can distract you from getting your work done. Here we look at 10 ways to ensure you’re set up for success in your home office.

1. Carve Out a Workspace

Not every entrepreneur is fortunate enough to have a spare room to turn into an office. That’s okay. You can use part of a room separated by a curtain or even a closet. The point here is to ensure you have a dedicated space that is only for work.

2. Set Up Your Day

The more routines you have, the more you’ll get done. If you have small children at home with you while you work, plan to work when they nap or when they’re quiet; otherwise you won’t be productive. Plan out your work hours; they don’t have to be 9 to 5, but they should be fairly consistent. Also, consider your attire. Some people love working in pajamas or sweats. Other people (like me) get more done by getting dressed in “business casual” – for some reason getting dressed to be seen by the world makes me feel more professional, even if it’s just me. 

3. Figure Out When You Work Best

Part of those routines you need to set up involve determining when you’re most productive. Some people are night owls, and some are early birds. Some need quiet time without phones and instant messages, so getting up early avoids that. You might need complete quiet in your home office. Whatever your needs, don’t fight against them.

4. Have an Ergonomic Set Up

You need a comfortable chair with good back support, a decent computer monitor you can easily see and a keyboard at the right height to avoid awkward pressure on arms and wrists. Don’t forget your eyes. Your computer should be at the right distance to see without strain; if necessary, see your eye doctor for “computer glasses” that are made for viewing a computer properly. Two monitors also can help productivity (less time spent jumping between applications), so if you can afford an extra monitor, by all means try it out.

5. Use Smart Tools

There are so many free or affordable software programs and apps for small businesses! Find the ones that help you do more. A few options:

• Google Drive
• DropBox
• Skype
• FreshBooks

6. Remove Distractions

It can be tempting to fold the laundry that’s in the middle of the floor, but pretend you’re at an office and ignore it. It’s important to designate certain hours for work, and certain hours for home life. Occasionally, it’s fine to take a break and run an errand, but don’t let it encourage you to procrastinate on a project.

7. Get Out of the House

Many people can’t bear being alone all the time in their home offices. Fortunately, we’ve become a mobile society, and you’ll always see plenty of people at your local coffee shop working on their laptops. Get a change of environment. Try working from a park or restaurant, if you can be productive there.

8. Find Support in Person or Online

It can be nice to meet other home-based entrepreneurs too. Find a local meetup of people like you or a local event where you can share your stories and find support in your small business endeavors. If you spend any time on Twitter or other social media sites, you’ll find plenty of folks who, like you, are working out of their homes. #HomeBiz is a great hashtag to follow to find content and conversations geared toward people like you.

9. Keep Learning

Find as many opportunities as you can to develop your business and industry knowledge. This can come in the form of online webinars, Twitter chats, in-person conferences, seminars, books, blogs and magazines.

10. Meet Regularly With Staff

If you have employees who also work from their homes, make a point to meet once a week or month so you reap the benefits of face-to-face time. While it’s completely possible to work virtually, nothing can make up for that in-person relationship-building time.

How to Determine Full Time Employee Under the ACA

All you HR folks who have some doubts about how the ACA classifies a full time employee for purposes of qualification for benefits, here is an excellent article that will answer all your questions.  Please enjoy!

http://www.smallbizhrblog.com/how-to-determine-full-time-employee-status-under-the-a-c-a.htm

How to Avoid Employee Lawsuits

Northeast Consulting and Interpreting helps employees and employers to navigate some of the complexitites of the relationship between the two.  Familiarization with employment statutes is pivotal for managers and employees alike.  Below I have included a link to an article from CPEHR regarding the "do's and don't's to avoid employee lawsuits"  management employees relations before and after employment starts.  The list of do' and don't are very basic.  However, don't assume every manager knows how to follow the rules of engagement in managment employee relations.

The lay person may want to read this as well.  Employees often get themselves in trouble in the workplace simply because they do not understand management perspective, employment statutes, or work rules.  When I was employed as a union representative, I many times had to be called in by management to negotiate a grievance on behalf of an employee, where the employee was actually at fault.  Once, the air was cleared and the basic rules or review of an applicable statute were completed, all would walk out happy with the resolution for the grievance.  The problem was often created by a misinterpretation or understanding of the work rules or statutes.

So a word to all mangers and employees get to know the rules at work, the employment statutes, and if unionized, your union contract.  This will help prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations.  Always ask your HR staff for assistance in resolving greivances at work.  Finally, knowledge will help prevent employee lawsuits.

That was a piece of my mind read the article:


http://www.smallbizhrblog.com/top-ten-management-donts-to-avoid-an-employee-lawsuit.html