SAP supports remote working and flexible work schedules. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 20% of our global employee population were not based out of an SAP office.
As the situation continues to unfold, employee health and safety is paramount and more and more of our global workforce are shifting to a remote arrangement every day.
Working from home may seem straightforward to many, but for the uninitiated, they will find the lines being blurred between work and home life, not knowing when to ‘switch off’ and missing face-to-face interactions with their team members.
Recently, the Life at SAP team sought the expert advice of the SAP community to help new remote workers get on top of their new work-life situation. Here are the tips they shared (answers have been edited and condensed for clarity).
Structure your day and stick to your schedule
Get a routine going. CALENDAR CHUNK your day/week out! At home, distractions are a given (ahem, my fridge, kids, pets - it goes on)! It is very easy to lose yourself while working from home. Sometimes it feels like you can work 24/7, so you need to set up a structure. Try to put a limit to your working hours. – Danielle N.
Define schedules. It is easier to keep working much longer than at the office or skip work if you are not disciplined. Explain to your family that those schedules have to be respected – even if you are at home, you are busy working. – Zareh V.
Start your day with a work ‘ritual’
Start a day with 5 mins of your devices on airplane mode, sitting at your desk. Draw something: a pattern while thinking about your well-being, a dog, a house… anything. Anything else than your to-do list. That will help you to be creative during the day. – Gaye S.
My routine: wake up, workout, shower, get dressed (usually jeans with a nice top, although, some days I do enjoy staying in yoga pants and a t-shirt), then begin my workday, which I set dedicated hours. - @mpetit23
Keep a routine. You may even want to take a walk around the block to start and end your day with a separation "commute". – Jeanne D.
Stay connected, online and offline
Keep yourself available on Skype and respond to calls. Desk conversations which usually help resolve some work concerns can’t happen when you work from home. So being in constant touch with colleagues in a collaborative channel helps. – Aditi K.
If you’re super extroverted and start to feel a little stir-crazy without the human interaction, walks outside and having FaceTime calls can help. – Nancy B.
Keep connected. The thing I miss most about the office is random chats at the coffee corner. Schedule these in with various members of your team or your network to stay connected. – Melissa B.
Invest in good technology and be professional
I use Direct Access and or VPN to suit my work needs. It’s business as usual for me, except not in the office. – Gloria M.
I’ve got a home office setup and love Teams and Zoom for remote meetings. I also use SAP Relay to stay in touch with colleagues. – Rebecca B.
Get a good desktop Teams/Skype-enabled speakerphone (SAP folks all know which one we mean!). Learn where the mute button is. In big meetings it’s polite to be on mute. Remember to turn it off when you need to talk! – Gavin C.
With kids, try waking up earlier or find ways to keep them busy
Wake up before the kids need help with the morning school preparation in order to plan the day and get a good cup of coffee in your favorite mug while you are checking your e-mails. – Marisa S.
My biggest challenge right now is that my 3 kids are learning from home as well. Balancing between being not disturbed and not to negatively affect the whole home is not an easy task. My best solution is to be an early bird and finish the most important tasks first while it is quiet. – Mahmoud A.
The biggest challenge for me while working from home is that my daughter cannot go to school these days and I have to take care of her. Now that her school is online, the situation is better. From 8:30am she will be busy with her online courses till 16:30 in the afternoon, and I can focus on my work. – Charles Z.
Don’t ignore your basic needs
Take breaks just like you would in an office. It’s easy to forget to do that! – Patricia S.
Remember to have snacks and eat! It’s easy to get caught up in your work and skip lunch. – Hidali A.
Remember to fuel yourself before important calls when your peak brain power is needed. If your energy is low, try a quick 15-minute workout. – Amy J.
Thank you to everyone in the Life at SAP community for contributing their tips and tricks. If you would like to join in the conversation, check out the discussion threads on the Life at SAP Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels.
No matter where you are in the world and the changes you have to implement at this moment to adapt to new circumstances and continue to deliver results, we are in this together. Let’s encourage everyone around us to support each other and ensure that we listen and empathize.
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