Ways to develop a home office routine

Let’s see how our employees maintain their routines

What does your typical day look like right now? Could you give us some tips or examples of good practices?

“My routine is basically the same as before, with the difference being that now I don’t have to drive to the office after reading my e-mails but start replying immediately. The rest of the day is a mix of external and internal meetings. The only difference is that I need to dress up in the afternoon when the external meetings start, because most of our clients are using their cameras for video conferences. 😉

In the meantime, I make myself some coffee, have some snacks (even made my own lunch today) and the day goes by quickly.

At the end of the day, I prepare myself for the next day, check my schedule and make sure I have a few free slots in between to deal with unplanned issues.” 

Boris Bajić (Chief Product Officer) 

“I wake up at 6:30 am and go running. After the morning run, I have breakfast with my family, prepare coffee and switch on my computer and start working at 8 am. Children are in their rooms working based on the instructions they receive from their school teachers through their school’s online portal. We have lunch around 12:30 go out for a walk or a bicycle ride after lunch. At 2:00 pm I am back and continue with my work. Around 5:00 pm we all go out again for a walk. If necessary, I work some more in the evening when the children are in bed.”

Valerija Marenče (Regional HR Manager) 

How is communication between colleagues?

“It has been only two days since our complete team started working from home, so I think it is too soon to tell. The communication is great so far. We have daily meetings like normal and we scheduled another daily meeting at the end of the workday to keep the team focused and engaged. The meetings are carried out using video calls in Teams.”

Mojca Vrbančič (Business Analyst – Banking team)

“It’s OK, because we are all very positive and try to bring some humour into our communication.”    

Valerija Marenče (Regional HR Manager)

What is currently your biggest challenge?

My key challenge is psychological in nature, because working from home blurs the line between work life and home life, which is an even tougher challenge when you live in an apartment. 

Luka Košenina (Software Developer – R&D)

What did you notice as an advantage of working from home and what is a disadvantage?

By working from home, we can save a lot of time and energy as we don’t have to worry about getting to work. Working from home allows you to eat food that is better tailored to your needs, which is usually more healthy.

I think the main disadvantage is the fact that it is hard to separate work from your home life.

Luka Košenina (Software Developer –  R&D)

Employees opinion about productivity when working remote

“I believe that it’s more productive this way, at least in the short term. You can keep your focus on a particular task without all sorts of external “noises” and disturbances. No one is knocking at your door.  We just need to organize ourselves in a way to make sure we have time for both: work and personal affairs. I think it’s even easier this way, since your “office” is right next to your bedroom, so most of the people can take advantage of really flexible working hours.  

And while we’re at it, all the time we normally spend in traffic can be put to good use now. Suddenly, you have extra 6-7 hours per week that we can spend with our families or to finish that book we’ve been neglecting for quite some time now.”

Boris Bajić (Chief Product Officer) 

“My personal opinion is that team managers need to excel as leaders now more than ever and with such attitude, we can all make the most of our current situation. We all need to be present and more focused.”

Mojca Vrbančič (Business Analyst – Banking team)

“In my case, I would say that work from home is almost the same as work in the office. Some parts are harder, such as communication and lack of office equipment, while others are easier.  For example, you can better focus on tasks, there are no constant interruptions and you don’t lose time with travel to the office.

Work from home or remote work could be challenging because you must have a work routine in your home. That means you must be more self-organized, independent and be able to switch to “work mode” when you start work and switch it back off when you finish. Of course, you need to have lunch and coffee breaks like in a real office.”

Goran Vujanovic (Software Developer – Senior; R&D)