Most employees who telecommute will admit they face some obstacles when they’re trying to work. Here are the top five distractions their managers should warn them to avoid:
- Sleeping in — Employees should treat a day of working from home the same as a day of working in the office. That means getting plenty of rest and getting up ready to work.
- Unstructured breaks — When telecommuting, it’s much easier to step away from the desk at any time. But workers should stick to their normal break routine when they’re home.
- Entertainment — Let telecommuters know: Just because they’re working near a TV doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to work with the TV on.
- Family — This can be the toughest distraction to avoid, but telecommuters need to politely tell family and friends that they’re “at work” even when they’re home.
- Chores — Seeing a pile of unfolded laundry can make it tempting to stop working, but employees need to learn to save household tasks for after business hours.