Working from home, Rapita style

As of 2020-03-18, most of Rapita's UK staff are working from home temporarily. This is due to the UK government's recommendations that people avoid shared spaces, including offices, to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Thanks to prior planning and the expertise of our IT team, Rapita's transition to working from home has been (mostly) smooth. We continue to support our customers and build on our leading software products.

Reflecting the amazing creativity and resourcefulness of our team, the shift to working from home has been a great opportunity for us to find ingenious solutions to best adapt to the change. Here are some tips from the Rapita team to inspire anyone who intends to work from home:

Create your office

If you have plenty of space at home, you can create your very own home-office environment. This can be a replica of the setup that you have in the office, or you can customize it to best fit your personality. If you sort out your working space the night before, you'll be able to save time the next day. Remember to obtain all the necessary equipment you'll need for work (e.g. headphones for conference calls, extra monitors, hardcopy documents and a nice comfy chair).

Keep all you need nearby

Try and keep everything you'll need throughout the day close at hand to reduce distractions. Whether it's coffee, water or snacks, keeping everything you need nearby will minimize those distractions so you can be a home office superstar.

Make it you

Different people work best in different environments. The standard office environment may not be your ideal working environment, but you can have things exactly as you like them at home. You may prefer to work amongst the verdant green of houseplants, sit by the window with a nice view of the world outside, or enjoy the coziness of a throw over your legs. This is your opportunity to create an environment that works for you!

Make the most of what you have

Everyone will have different resources available to them at home that they can use to create their ideal working environment. Make the most of what you have, find your inner genius and engineer a custom solution to meet your needs. Whether you need a raised chair or a standing desk, you can always make a creative solution without the need for fancy equipment.

Take some breaks

Working from home can make you feel the need to be more productive and this can lead to overworking. Once in a while, your brain needs to reset and recharge, and staring at the screen the whole day won't help. Be sure to take frequent breaks and if possible get some fresh air outside (even a short stroll in the garden). Taking a break is not counter-productive, as some people may imagine.

Stick to regular hours

Consistency can increase productivity. Maintaining regular working hours will keep you accountable with yourself as well as your peers. In addition, a regular schedule will make it easier for teammates to get in touch with you.

Stay in touch with your team and don't be lonely

"Humans are, by nature, social animals". There are plenty of virtual platforms you can use to keep in touch with your colleagues. Due to the high volume of people working from home in Europe, Microsoft Teams faced capacity issues this week, but it's now back up and running. Some of the platforms you can use to keep in touch include Zoom, Skype and GotoMeeting. You can still hold meetings, and collaboration is just a click away. It's good to contact teammates regularly to make sure they're okay.

The Rapita team – making it work no matter the situation!