Winet Blog

The temptation is great - as soon as the sun shines a little and the warmth can be felt through the open window, we are drawn outside immediately. While we are working from home with laptops and telephones, the creative mental cinema begins and we are already thinking about combining the work with the beautiful weather outside. However, the idea of ​​continuing the home office outside usually seems more tempting than reality shows: The noise can be heard from all sides, the sun shines into the screen and / or the power source is not connected to our work media. Many disruptive factors can quickly ruin the work experience and we flee back to our usual indoor work. But this does not necessarily have to be the case! Because working outdoors can make up for the vitamin D deficiency and the fresh air increases the supply of oxygen. It also has a positive effect on health, the stress factor is reduced and the body feels more energetic and relaxed. For this reason, with this exciting article we would like to give you the best tips on how you can also do Home Office outdoors work in a relaxed manner in the fresh air.

The outdoor workplace

Let's start right away with the most important thing - the place to work outdoors. You quickly notice that concentration quickly disappears when the sun is shining. The warmth can be felt throughout the body and especially on the head in direct sunlight. You start to sweat easily and your gaze fades quickly to the idyllic surroundings than to stay with your laptop. Furthermore, the sun shines directly into the screen, which not only reduces concentration even more, but is also much more harmful to the eyes. To get around this, find a suitable place to work in the shade.Because there is enough screen brightness in the shade and legibility is guaranteed. In addition, you avoid overheating of the electronic devices and you don't get sunburn so quickly, which you could regret in the evening.

We are also aware that there is not a shadow on every balcony or terrace. A hat and sunglasses help to make the work possible. Do not forget to drink enough water in order to ensure the hydration at all times and to cool the body from the inside.

Even with or without a shadow, the light that is too bright on the screen can sometimes not be prevented. Here you can make a self-made panel out of cardboard, which you can fold over the upper edge of the laptop. This also improves reading and calms the eyes when focusing on the screen.

As August is now drawing to a close, the temperatures will also become milder over time and work can be done comfortably outdoors. Even in slightly cloudy weather, work can be carried out outdoors. Another reason to take the step outside.

Avoid noise & interference

I think everyone of us has already had the same experience in the home office when it comes to the ambient noise while working. Even with the windows and doors closed, the background noises can be heard easily. This is particularly evident in the case of important phone calls and video calls, which have particularly increased since the beginning of the pandemic. Vehicles passing by, sirens, construction work and noisy neighbors are just a few examples. In comparison, chirping birds and the rasping rain are still perceived as pleasant background noises.

To prevent any background noise, we recommend a good headset with a high-quality microphone.Most modern telephones also have what is known as “noise canceling”, which blocks out the surrounding noise. In addition, the latest headset and telephone microphones are designed so that they only record or record your own voice. transmit and filter outside noises.

Another trick with online video calls is to activate the mute functionin order to temporarily block out the background noise. As soon as you deactivate the mute function, only your voice is recognized and the background noise is faded out. With certain communication programs, the microphone sensitivity can be configured so that the background noise is quieter than your own voice.

A mobile phone device is also recommended for making calls outdoors or a so-called softphone app is installed on your own smartphone, which ensures the link to the company network. In the future, this will also be feasible with our Cloud PBX Ayrix in order to be able to offer you the flexibility in this regard as well.

Ultimately, all that's left is listening to pleasant music while working, which can be done well outdoors with headphones. Of course, this is only possible if you can concentrate well with background music and if the focus remains while the activity is being carried out.

Lack of energy source

If you work outside for hours, it can quickly happen that the laptop or the phones you are using no longer have a battery. Most terraces and balconies also do not have a socket to quickly recharge the low battery. Of course, this problem can be solved with an extension cable over short distances. However, it becomes more difficult when we want to continue working in the middle of the garden or in the nearby park. This is especially useful if, for example, you own a floor apartment without a balcony or an adjacent terrace. If you would like to work mobile in this case, you can buy enough powerful power banks hese days, which can charge laptops, smartphones and headphones from anywhere without any problems. There are also power banks, which can alternatively be recharged with solar energy.

Insufficient WiFi and internet connections

Internet crashes or non-working WiFi can be very frustrating at work. These interruptions inhibit the work flow and the stress factor increases again. Of course, it can also quickly happen that the WiFi connection outside works poorly or even does not exist at all. For this reason, make sure that you can have a decent and secure internet connection outside. In an emergency or at short notice, an internet connection with the devices can be guaranteed with the smartphone via the mobile hotspot. Please note, however, that web security is guaranteed and that the network runs via the secure company VPN.

Final reflexion

As you can see, the home office can also be quickly converted into an «outdoor office». Ultimately, we are of the opinion that precisely the combination and the alternating environment can increase work motivation and work performance a lot. With the right preparation and working outdoors, your own health can also be promoted and the experience is also positively received. Because this also eliminates the feeling of missing something during working hours and despite the good weather outside. Ultimately, the balance is crucial here. At this point we hope that we have been able to inspire you with our«Outdoor Home Office» tips and that you will try it out for yourself when you get the chance. Of course, the weather has to play along too. We wish you a lot of success and fun at work - whether in the office, from home or outdoors!