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8 tips to help you and your team work from home successfully

Businesses all over Australia have implemented work from home policies to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In this guide you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to work from home successfully and ensure your teams are as effective as they can be while working from home.

Work from home tips to help you and your team stay productive

Here are some tips on how you can work from home successfully.

Get into a morning routine

Starting your day off right with an effective morning routine is essential for having a successful day. It might be tempting to just roll out of bed 5 minutes before your start time and work in your PJs all day, but doing so won’t put you in the mindset for productivity. Set an alarm each morning and get up early each day so you can get dressed for work like you normally would. Make yourself a coffee and eat a healthy breakfast so you can ensure that your body gets the nutrients it needs to complete your day. All of these activities can help you put yourself into the mindset of having a successful and productive day while working from home.

Plan out your day with all the things you want to do

After you’ve completed your morning routine, now it’s time to start planning what you’ll be working on today. Write a to-do list of all the things you want to achieve today in order from most important to least important and then create a schedule of how you will execute on those tasks.

Find your spot

Find a quiet and peaceful spot in your home where you can set up a workspace. Eliminate distractions and turn off your phone notifications while you are working so you can focus on the tasks at hand.

Prepare your meals in advance

Meal prep your lunch the night before so you don’t have to spend time in the middle of the day preparing your lunch. Make sure you choose healthy meals so you are fueling your body with all the nutrients it needs to be productive and successful.

Take microbreaks throughout the day

Throughout the day while working from home, it can be quite easy to get tired and your attention can drift. If you find this happening, try and set up some microbreaks during the day so you can reset and relax for 10 minutes. Make yourself a cup of tea, stretch your legs or go for a short walk. This can help you work from home successfully and stay motivated to complete all your tasks.

Keep your work and personal time separate

It can be tempting to complete life admin tasks while you are working from home, but it’s important that when you are working during the day, you are dedicating your time to completing your work and being productive.

Connect with your colleagues

You may be feeling a bit disconnected from your colleagues while you are working from home, but that’s why it’s so important to make an effort to reach out to them and communicate as much as possible. A quick video call can help you connect with your colleagues so you can collaborate on work tasks more effectively and just help you feel more connected.

Remember to clock out

At the end of the day, it is also important to clock out of work so that you can ensure you set boundaries between your work time and your personal time. This can help you avoid burning out and will help you ensure that tomorrow you are refreshed and ready to start the day off right.

How to manage your team while working from home

Communicate with your team regularly

During this period of uncertainty, it’s really important to make an effort with your team and communicate with them as much as possible with updates on the company.

Communicate goals and expectations with your team

Ensure that your team is across what their goals and expectations are by setting up regular meetings with them so that they are aware of what the team’s goals are. 

Daily standup meeting

To ensure that you are across what everyone in your team is working on each day, set up a regular daily standup meeting so everyone can go through what their tasks are for the day. If you’d like to learn more about how to structure your daily standup meeting and daily goals, download our daily work from home meeting guide here.

New work from home tax deductions Australia

Now that countless Australians are working from home to help flatten the curve of new COVID-19 cases, The Australian Taxation Office has made it easier to claim work from home tax deductions.

These changes will allow people to claim 80 cents per hour for all their home office expenses, instead of calculating costs for specific running expenses as taxpayers would under normal circumstances. You can learn more about the new home tax deduction rules here.

Maintain a sense of belonging with your community

With all the changes happening around Australia and the world it can be easy to feel disconnected from the world around us. Which is why it’s important to continually check in on our colleagues, partners, family and friends during this time so that we can maintain a sense of belonging and remind ourselves that we are not alone.

Everything you need to know about Centrelink’s coronavirus supplements

Since the government lock down caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of businesses have been forced to close their doors leaving thousands of Australians out of work. Some economists expect the unemployment rate to reach up to 10-15%.

If you have lost your job or your income has been affected by the coronavirus, the good news is Centrelink is now offering supplements of up to $550 per fortnight. Here’s how you can apply for Centrelink’s new coronavirus supplements.

How much can you receive from Centrelink’s coronavirus supplement?

The coronavirus supplement is $550 per fortnight. This supplement is not income or assets tested – anyone who is eligible for it will receive the full $550 per fortnight. It is also important to note that this coronavirus payment is an additional support to people who are already on welfare like JobSeeker or Youth Allowance. There are multiple factors which impact your welfare payment amount, including your income, assets and dependants so it is difficult to estimate.

Who can receive Centrelink’s coronavirus supplement?

In order to receive Centrelink’s coronavirus supplements, you need to already be eligible for a Centrelink welfare payment like JobSeeker or Youth Allowance. If you are already receiving a welfare payment from Centrelink like the above, the coronavirus supplement will be automatically applied.

JobSeeker payments are available to Australian citizens and residents between 22 and 66 years old and Youth Allowance payments are available for people under 21 years old.

You can apply if you have been:

  • Stood down from your job
  • Your income is reduced
  • You are a carer for someone with coronavirus

Other eligibility criteria: 

  • Your partner must earn less than $3,068 a fortnight ($79,762/year) for you to be eligible.

Who is not eligible for the coronavirus supplement?

Not everyone is automatically eligible for welfare payments, this includes:

  • Anyone with a partner earning more than $79,762/year
  • Workers receiving employer entitlements such as sick leave, annual leave or redundancy packages
  • People claiming income protection insurance
  • Anyone whose income exceeds the threshold

When should you apply for the coronavirus supplement?

Apply for the JobSeeker payment as soon as you can. With the increase in demand Centrelink may take longer to process your application.

How do you apply for the Centrelink’s coronavirus supplement?

  1. Login or sign up to MyGov to start a claim.
  2. Once you login to MyGov register your intention to claim through the link below. The date you register your intention to claim is the date that future payments can be backdated if you are approved.
  1. Prepare any documentation you might need including three proof of identity documents for when Centrelink calls you.
  2. A Centrelink employee will contact you through a private number and take you through the process of setting up your account with them, assessing your eligibility and beginning your claim.
  3. Once you have your CRN, you can start your claim through the Centrelink button on the MyGov website.

If you have any other questions regarding this supplement, we recommend visiting this resource from Finder and the Australian Government website.

Coronavirus: How HR leaders from Apple, Google and Nike are responding

The Coronavirus has continued to spread worldwide at alarming numbers. During this time of uncertainty it’s more important than ever before that we get our communities, workplaces and ourselves prepared.

Companies are looking to HR and people leaders to plan and prepare for the change in work. HR plays a critical role in guiding employees and management teams to prepare, and help keep the calm with unprecedented new challenges arising.

HR teams from Apple, Google and more are sharing Coronavirus plans publicly

Some of the world’s biggest companies have joined together to crowdsource a collection of resources to help HR and business leaders inform their employees about their Coronavirus response plans.

Coronavirus HR Comms & Resources Guide
Source: Coronavirus HR Comms & Resources Guide


Here’s the link to find a curated collection of public Coronavirus response communications, templates, news, remote work, hiring impact, and resources. 


How to communicate Coronavirus information in your organisation

1. Build a Coronavirus response plan

A Coronavirus response plan is essential to help anticipate and develop solutions to the disruption it will cause to your business. The Coronavirus HR Communications & Resources gives you access to Playbooks, Responsive Plans, WFH policy templates from the global HR community.

2. Distribute your Coronavirus plan

Create an information hub where employees can find all the information they need. Consider a HR communications tool like Flare which can help you manage, distribute and amplify communications to employees easily and efficiently. You can schedule a free demo of Flare here.

3. Re-evaluate your work from home policy

Many of you will be making plans for some of your employees to start working from home. Some of you will already have started. Here is one of our favourite guides to managing remote work: 21 tips to remote working.

The Coronavirus has continued to spread worldwide at alarming numbers. During this time of uncertainty it’s more important than ever before that we get our communities, workplaces and ourselves prepared. Companies are looking to HR and people leaders to plan and prepare for the change in work. HR plays a critical role in guiding employees […]