Her Magazine is New Zealand’s only women’s business lifestyle magazine! Her Magazine highlights the achievements of successful and rising New Zealand businesswomen. Her Magazine encourages a healthy work/life balance.
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/76572
LINKED IN How video link technology provides the ideal solution for working mums WHEN MOTHER OF THREE Melanie Hobbs gets up in the morning she feeds her kids and gets them washed, dressed and off to school, and is still the first person in her company to get to work each day thanks to video conference technology. Melanie – who describes herself as a stay-at-home mum with a full time career – has worked as a service manager for video conferencing company for 11 years. As a mother she values a good work-life balance so she doesn't miss out on her young children's lives. She spoke to her employer about setting up a home office with the very technology that her clients use to connect and collaborate around the globe, and they were happy to do so. Since then Melanie says the remote access technology has not only enabled her to achieve the perfect work-life balance, but it has also significantly boosted her productivity. "Working remotely from home, via video conference, is the perfect situation. It makes it much easier to support my family and be involved in my children's school activities, without missing out on the benefits of being located in a work environment," she says. "It is just like being in the office, except I no longer have to battle the long and stressful commute," adds Melanie. Naturally, a flexible working situation also brings challenges. Melanie says that although it took some getting used to initially, she now finds it very easy to balance her working and personal life. Angela March www.asnettechnologies.co.nz Here are Melanie's top tips for achieving the perfect balance when working from home: • • Respect and appreciate that you have been given the privilege to work from home. • • Educate your family on your new working situation and get their support. It will be invaluable as you negotiate your new routine. • • Set ground rules for your family around interruptions during working hours. Outline when it is, and is not, appropriate to interrupt your work and explain how they should go about it. • • Designate a dedicated workspace, away from the main living areas. If possible avoid using this space for non-work activities. • • Arrange child-care for your preschool age children during working hours. Combining the two is not only stressful, but can prevent you from performing both your work and family duties to the best of your ability. • • Initially monitor your daily work output to ensure you are meeting your contracted hours. This will provide peace of mind for both you and your employer. It will also ensure you are not working more than is necessary. • • Advise your friends that although you are working from home, you still have regular work commitments, responsibilities and deadlines. Being at home is not a license for coffee drop-ins. • • Turn off the ringer on the home phone and make sure your doorbell can be disconnected. Remove external distractions where possible to help you stay focused – often it's the small interruptions that can derail your work flow. • • Ignore domestic jobs around the home – these can wait until after your contracted finish time. Although it can be tempting to tend to home jobs during the day with the promise of working extra in the evening or on the weekend, long term this can be difficult to track and can make you feel as though you are constantly working. • • While video conferencing is ideal, try to visit your company's office at least once per month to make sure you maintain strong connections with everyone there. • • Get yourself a comfy pair of slippers! www.hermagazine.co.nz | 55