Our kids had all finally grown up and moved away, leaving us with an empty nest. The time was finally right...So my spouse and I decided to take the leap of faith and downsize our entire life, moving into an 850 sq. ft. cabin on 20 acres of land in rural Idaho. *2 weeks later* COVID-19 hits the United States and everybody was instructed to work from home and stay there.
With a job that now required both of us to work from home, my husband and I decided to be creative. We got a little shed, decorated it, and made the perfect workspace for training and hiring new employees.
As you can imagine, hiring and training new employees takes a lot of coordination and communication. And doing it 100% remote was an even bigger challenge. However, creating this little office space made a huge difference. Here are some ways you can make your work from home space a little oasis of creativity and inspiration.
Welcome to the "office."
Take a stroll through the Idaho woods and stumble upon our little office space - come inside and be inspired to create a workspace that speaks to you.
We learned how valuable it is to have your own workspace and what a difference that makes in productivity. Take time to set aside a space and make it your style. Challenge yourself to be creative and adaptable. For us, when our 850 square foot home wasn’t going to work for training 17 new employees, we started looking at small sheds we could set up near to the house. While this was an unplanned financial investment for our family, with both of us working from home, it made sense for the long-term. Plus, it added overall value to our property and provides us with additional flexibility well into the future. And it’s super cute. What changes can you make to make your workspace better for you?
Be creative
Environment plays an important role in productivity and overall success. Add some plants, candles, photos, lamps, fun wallpaper, whatever you need to feel like your best self when working. What is your work from home style? Show us how you stay organized no matter where you work - in an office, the field, or at home.
When you don't succeed, try again.
Say goodbye to your comfort zone, say hello to trial and error. What works for one person might not work for everybody or for their team. For me, it was important to have a large workspace and many screens so that I can see all of my trainees at once. I used my normal computer screens, but also requested a 55” screen, which allowed me to see everyone at once during training. Setting up my desk in a way that was most effective for me was also instrumental. What can you add to your home office to make your life easier?
Flexibility is key.
When working, it's important to have a flexible mindset. Technology issues are certainly inevitable, so try not to stress when things come up. Make your space comfortable and calming for you personally. Be as easygoing as possible with technology and take deep breaths when things inevitably go wrong.
And be ready to kiss the ground that your IT department walks on. We definitely needed some assistance when setting up the shed - especially using multiple different screens. Don't be afraid to ask for help so that your home office is up to par - making you even more successful and efficient.
Communicate
In a remote environment, it’s even more important to get to know people. Because forming close working relationships has traditionally happened in the office, managers and trainers may have to work a little harder to make this happen. During our training, we utilized chatrooms and scheduled meetings from time to time that weren’t work related so we could get to know each other on a deeper level. We used Facebook, Teams, and Zoom (hello, virtual happy hours).
It's also great to have an extra area in your home office (if you have the space) to add some chairs or a couch. This way, when we have breaks, my husband can come chat with me and I can pretend I am socializing at the water cooler.
Celebrate
The most important thing to remember is that everybody is doing the best they can. Encourage and celebrate any and every success. Whether it is a small win or a big win, employees are still succeeding during a global pandemic, and that is worth celebrating.
We never would have predicted living life in a global pandemic. We have all had to adapt, and it is apparent how resilient we are as humans. We will continue to be resilient and strive for greatness in our communities and in our business. We hope this advice helps all who are going through training virtually, and ease some stress that comes with it.
