Working Efficiently in the Home Office
Organize stress free digital communication successful together in a network, agile project management, team spirit motivation psychology
Simone Janson, Simone Janson, Simone Janson
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Working Efficiently in the Home Office
Organize stress free digital communication successful together in a network, agile project management, team spirit motivation psychology
Simone Janson, Simone Janson, Simone Janson
About This Book
In the 4th, completely revised edition of this groundbreaking guide, published by an award-winning publisher, renowned experts (overview in the book preview) combine their knowledge with interactive AI. This unique combination of decades of experience and state-of-the-art technology enables you to master challenges on a whole new level. Thanks to the innovative transfer of information, complemented by personal experiences of success, you can realize your goals and reach your full potential. Because the challenges in the home office are immense - for employees and companies alike. First of all, jobs and digital structures have to be created that also allow unofficial communication, so that employees are not cut off from important information. But also the motivation and personal responsibility of the employees is put to the test when working remotely, for example, when it comes to working without distraction or taking a break. For its concept "Information as Desired, " the publisher won the Global Business Award as Publisher of the Year and received government funding. It is also a partner of the Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany. The goal to give you the best possible content on topics such as career, finance, management, recruiting, or psychology goes far beyond the static nature of traditional books: The interactive AI Extended Books not only provide AI-optimized content in several languages based on data analysis but also allow you to ask individual questions and receive advice tailored to your personal interests. Each book contains detailed information and examples for your successful use of AI. You can utilize AI software for free, download e-courses, collaborate with workbooks, or engage with an active community. So you gain valuable resources that enhance your knowledge, stimulate creativity, and make your personal and professional goals achievable and tangible. Expertise and technical innovation go hand in hand, as we take the responsibility to deliver well-researched and informed content seriously, honoring the trust you place in us. Due to the unique combination of human expertise and innovation, we can publish works that meet your requirements in every aspect. And furthermore, we want to offer you the opportunity to make your journey towards personal growth and success even more unforgettable. We understand that true change occurs not just in the mind but primarily through personal experiences and application. Therefore, we've conceptualized special success journey experiences tailored to each book for you. Be inspired to elevate your life to an entirely new level. By purchasing the books, you can also do good: The publisher dedicates about 5 percent of book sales revenue to socially relevant or sustainable projects. We provide scholarships, support innovative ideas, and contribute to climate protection initiatives. Publisher Simone Janson is also a bestselling author and one of the top 10 influential German bloggers according to the Blogger Relevance Index. Additionally, she has been a columnist and author for renowned media outlets such as WELT, Wirtschaftswoche, or ZEIT - more about her can be found, among other places, on Wikipedia.
Frequently asked questions
Information
Home office: 7 reasons pros and cons
// By Simone Janson
“Working side by side” again
Do CEOs have to be role models?
“I can't work like this”
7 arguments against the home office
- Working together is more fun: In her memo, Marissa Mayer appealed to the community spirit of the “Yahoos” and also emphasized the fun nature of the collaboration. In order to create the absolute best place to work, it is important to work side by side, she says.
- Exchange is important: The exchange in personal conversation is still extremely important today - despite all digital means of communication. Above all, informal conversations, gossip in the cafeteria increase productivity and creativity. Google, the company from which Mayer comes, has already successfully demonstrated how important teamwork and constant creative exchange are when developing new ideas.
- You can organize meetings efficiently: Of course, meetings can be annoying. However, Marissa Mayer is known for holding extremely efficient meetings of short duration. For example, she only accepts invitations to a meeting if she knows exactly what it is about and what her role is. And she wants to be able to estimate beforehand what will be discussed for how long. More on this in this article by Gregor.
- Communication takes time: When people work together at distant workplaces, communication takes significantly longer than when you sit next to each other in the office due to the lower media richness. For example, because misunderstandings arise more often.
- Home workers are not necessarily more productive: At the time, according to Business Insider, Yahoo had a large number of employees who nobody knows, who never come into the company - and who are not particularly productive. Because working in the home office is not necessarily more productive than in a concentrated work environment. Distraction by children or the household damages concentration. Missing structures also make disciplined work difficult.
- New forms of work do not necessarily make you happier: Those who work at home initially think they are self-determined and flexible - and seem to have achieved exactly what they always wanted. But soon the homeworkers notice that the blanket is falling on their heads at home, and new forms of work are needed. I recently spent a few days in Austin, Texas. Austin is also known as Silicon Hills as the fastest growing city in the USA with numerous IT companies. Here I noticed: The cafes were full of young coffee house workers. But also: Most people sat alone at the table and worked on themselves. Collaborative forms of work and discussions were rarely observed. That makes me think of Shirly Turkle's thesis of shared loneliness. I have also been comparing different coworking models internationally for years. Whether in New Zealand, Canada, Latvia or France: I could always see that coworking spaces were founded because the owners, usually freelancers, fell on the ceiling at home.
- A company needs fixed structures: CEOs like Marissa Mayer want more control over their employees - that doesn't have to be bad. A company needs fixed structures and hierarchies in order to function efficiently. If the structures are too loose, hierarchies are also formed, but in a much more non-transparent way.
7 arguments for the home office
- Meetings are often unproductive: If they are not structured in a targeted manner, meetings can quickly degenerate into unproductive discussion groups or become an individual's self-presentation platform. I know companies where meetings are a popular method of procrastination, because they are so much more pleasant for the boss than simply to do his job.
- There is more gossip than inspiration in the coffee kitchen: I already reported about Julia Seeliger's job search above. In her blog post, she also frankly wrote that she would like to meet colleagues at the coffee machine again. This motivation was criticized more than once by commentators who accused her of not having to look for work when she was looking for a job, but rather just gossiping at the coffee machine. At least, this statement shows how important the chat at work and the feeling of belonging are for many.
- "Working through" brings more than constant exchange: I was in Houston some time ago interviewed a rocket scientist, who held senior positions in NASA’s space shuttle program. So a very successful man. And what does he give us as a recipe for success? “Work hard and seek the challenge!” Not about: “Always exchange ideas with others!” It may be that he belongs to another generation. However: I am also most successful in my work (and incidentally also the most satisfied) if I simply work through my tasks consistently. Just to get the loose ends out of your head. Sometimes this also means isolating myself from distractions and just stubbornly following my plan. Certainly I lose some inspiration or two. But precisely because I focus, I also finish my tasks. In my opinion, too much exchange is disruptive. And I personally do this efficient work best at home, where I am undisturbed, and not in an office.
- Exchange doesn't necessarily make you more productive: Precisely because I have always boasted of the advantages of collaborative forms of work, I would like to raise the question: How productive are collaborative forms of work really? And how often is there simply meaningless and aimless discussion? As an example, I come back to the freelancers who meet with others, for example in cafes or while coworking. I assume that working together more productively is not the real purpose of these collaborative forms of work. Many just want to be with others. And not a single owner of a coworking space gave me the basic idea that he was more productive with others or that he needed more inspiration. These aspects usually only crystallized over time, or they were mainly a marketing argument from the start to attract customers.
- Who works at home works more: Many people who work flexibly at their desk at home actually do more for their company than some bosses suspect. The problem is that bosses often don't notice it and prefer to have their employees under (apparent) control and therefore right in front of their noses.
- It's about more control: As Business Insider writes in its above-mentioned post, it is not common in more successful companies like Facebook or Google that employees also work from home. Because despite all the fun character, there are more efficient structures that Marissa Mayer also wanted to introduce at Yahoo. It was simply about controlling the vast number of homeworkers and also saving costs, because it can be expected that some of the employees will actually quit.
- The boundaries between work and private life are becoming increasingly blurred: However, if companies want more control over their emplo...