If you have read the article about me, you surely know who I am. I’m Camille, and am doing marketing and sales for Tapat as a co-op student. My whole experience this year having been #workfromhome, I wanted to give you my feedback.
My background in a few lines
After graduating from high school, I decided to do the bachelor “marketing and business” at IDRAC Business School in Toulouse, my home town. Having done my first year in standard program and my second year abroad, I wanted to do this last year as a co-op student (alternating work and classes) to touch upon everything and gain professional experience. Having always wanted to work in a communications agency, I was lucky enough to be very well received by Tapat!
As Tapat does not have a fixed office, I agreed to do this experience from home.
What telecommuting has brought me:
Personally
- Autonomy
When I arrived at Tapat, I was only 19 years old. As time went by, I quickly realized that I was gaining autonomy because I was telecommuting. Indeed, I got used to looking for information by myself. At the end of this experience, I think that I will have acquired a real independence which will be useful throughout my career.
- Time saving
The fact of being at home allows me to save a considerable amount of time. I don’t have to take public transportation in the morning and evening to and from work. Moreover, I can eat at home which allows me to carry out -sometimes- other activities during the lunch break. This way, I can complete my scheduled work hours and do other things on the same day.
- Flexibility
Not having a fixed office to which I had to go every day with a precise schedule, I was able to benefit from a great amount of flexibility. Indeed, I could work from different places as long as I had all the tools at my disposal to fulfill my missions. Moreover, I was able, from time to time, to change my working hours according to my personal constraints. The main idea is to complete the required deliverables on time.
Professionally
- Efficiency
By applying all the tips I provide below, I quickly realized that I was becoming more efficient. I put myself in working condition everyday, ready and enthusiastic to carry out my tasks. Thus, by having no third party distractions, I always manage to achieve my objectives on time.
- Adaptability
To illustrate this part, I will use the example of the bond between colleagues. At the beginning of telecommuting, it’s hard to imagine being away from your colleagues with whom you share discussions. As time goes by, we realize that working from home does not reduce the bond at all. Indeed, at Tapat, we immediately got into the habit of contacting each other whenever we needed or wanted to. We even got into the habit of having breakfast once a month to engage with each other.
This way, I was able to adapt to working from home and not being in a company office.
- Organization
Being at home has also allowed me to gain in organization. Being more autonomous, I had to get organized according to my time constraints and tasks. Over time, I was able to identify the average time spent on each mission and thus determine what I was able to do in a week.
TIPS
- Having a dedicated work space
Before I even started the year, I immediately took the initiative to dedicate a place in my house to my future work space. This way, I was able to put all the tools I needed to complete my deliverables there, keeping any distractions at bay: this is my office.
This resolution makes it possible to distinguish the work space from the living space, without one taking over the other.
2. Getting organized and managing your time
Telecommuting requires a lot of organization. Indeed, even if you don’t distract yourself with colleagues and coffee breaks, you still have work to complete on time. For my part, I got used to making a weekly list of goals to achieve: this allowed me to see what was done and what needed to be done. There are other tools such as Trello that help you to manage your projects online.
3. Maintaining a social link
Having carried out this experience in an unusual health context (Covid-19), it was very difficult to maintain a social link with others. Over the course of the year, I realized that it was essential to maintain both physical and moral bonds.
Therefore, I tried to see or call someone at least once a day.
4. Not allowing yourself to get distracted
At home, it is very easy to do other things with almost everything at your disposal. However, it is very important to stay focused, which is why tip #1 also applies. You’ll have plenty of time to go about your business at the end of your workday, and your mind won’t be preoccupied by anything else.
5. Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Over the course of the year, I made it a point to get dressed every day as if I were going to work. Indeed, I assumed that if I dressed well for the job, I would do well in my work. And this idea proved to be true. It is therefore – in my opinion – important to get up, shower, dress and eat healthily. You can also take advantage of being at home to have other activities during your lunch break.
Conclusion
In conclusion, telecommuting has been a very rewarding experience for me. By following the advice given, I have learned a lot about myself and my work methods. I would not have any problem doing it again if I had to under the same conditions.
Do you have any feedback from your telecommuting experience you’d like to share?