EXPERTS HomeOffice Workers Deal With The Sounds Of Summer (NAPSA)—Manytraditional joys of summercan pose challengesfor those who work from home. Summercan disrupt the typically tranquil office environment of home-based workers. Conducting business can bedifficult with a radio blaring outside, the kids next door yelling and splashing in their pool or a neighbor’s weed whacker whirring in the background. According to Jeff Zbar, a leading homeoffice expert and creator of the resource site www.ChiefHomeOfficer.com, not only do these sounds of summer make it hard for home-based businesspeople to work, but when making phonecalls, the distractions can leave the person on the other end with an unprofessional impression of the at-home worker. Whether they're entrepreneurs or teleworkers, Zbar says home office workers can reduce distracting noises with a few simple steps: Buy a CD featuring ambient sounds such as waves crashing or rain falling. Not only will the CD block out the noise, it will help athome workersrelax on the job. Turn on a fan. The gentle hum and “white noise” will muffle distracting sounds and the mild breeze makes a homeoffice more pleasant. Move to another room. If work is portable, pick it up and take it to another area in the house, away from the noise. The change in setting might also boost productivity. Keep kids occupied. Give kids who are homefor the summer a quiet activity, such as an art pro- ject or a new book to read. Save more dynamic activities like playing outdoors for the end of the day when business is winding down. Tap technology. Wireless innovations for computers and Le | & > ) yee / v ae Working at home can beeasier with the help of wireless innova- tions for computers and headsets that can reducedistractions. headsets help make work more portable and productive. Homebased workers can move throughout the house and remain connected. Many wireless headsets today even come with an extended boom and noise-cancelling microphone to filter out background noises and let the user adjust talking and listening volumes to guarantee crystal-clear sound. “Wireless laptops and headsets are two useful tools that let home workers multitask with ease,” says Zhar. “Laptops provide portability and access, and most headsets feature one-touch controls, hands-free mobility and the range needed to walk around the house and even go outside while on a phone call. That’s what today’s productive homeofficer needs.” The Plantronics CS55H Home Edition is an example of a wireless headset that offers all of these helpful features. It can be purchased at office superstores nationwide and at www.plantronics.com. By combining technology and traditional methods, at-home work- ers will be able to overcome noisy distractions and get their work done moreefficiently—so they too can enjoy some summerfun.
