Remote work from home has long been regarded as a beneficial career to take. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, it becomes a valuable option when a social or community turmoil strikes. And this becomes obvious as the New Coronavirus (COVID-19) wreaks havoc globally.
As of this writing, more than 169,000 cases and 6,500 deaths have been recorded worldwide. The COVID-19 have been classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well. Moreover, countries and cities have declared community quarantine or area lockdown for the safety of citizens. And that affects employees who need to go to work each day.
AS a response, different companies have moved to make their employees work remotely. This includes staff who don’t need to be physically present in the office for work. Think of accountants, data encoders, and software developers and even call center agents among other professionals. They only need reliable computers and stable internet at home to do their job.
Now, how does working remotely help employees, workers and the community while the COVID 19 pandemic continues? How should workers transition from office to home-based remote job temporarily?
Don’t go out for Work: Avoid COVID-19 Infection through Remote Work from Home
Keep Safe from Corona Virus
Remember that social distancing is one of the best ways to slow down or halt the spread of COVID-19 today. This is about keeping enough distance from one person to another so viruses cannot easily transfer to a new host. This is where remote work becomes helpful.
It’s hard to keep social distancing when everybody is constantly moving. Going to work or school each day are prime examples. Say, a worker is unknowingly infected with COVID-19 and he goes to work. Chances are, he’d pass the virus to people along the road, to his officemates, his boss and to their customers.
With the example, it’s not only the infected person who would likely suffer from the effects of COVID 19 later on. But possibly everyone who gets physically in contact with him. And the newly infected people have a big chance of passing it to even more people in the community.
Working remotely eliminates such worries spreading in the community. The initially infected person should be quarantined and medically supervised. And ordering employees to temporarily work remotely helps them to avoid infection as well.
Enjoy Common Perks of Remote Work from Home as well
As previously discussed, working remotely does wonders amid the COVID-19 scare by keeping social distancing. But whether there’s a pandemic or none, it’s already giving wonderful perks for remote workers globally. And you’d certainly enjoy these too:
- Work Anywhere – Online workers have been working to any ideal spots they love. Think of coffee shops, mini-workspace rentals and even by the beach among other places. But with the COVID-19 around, simply choose to work in the comforts of your home.
- No Daily Commute – Daily travel to and from work is surely exhausting, especially when counting long distances and traffic jams. Simply work at home remotely, then you can start working right after breakfast. Then, have an instant rest at the end of the day.
- Keep Stress at Bay – With the earlier two benefits of remote work or work from home, you’d get the idea of it being more comfortable, convenient and relaxing. That means you’d keep stress away, or easily relieve yourself from it. On a side note, keeping stress on low levels helps boost your immune system. In other words, you’d get a better defense against COVID-19 as well.
- Cost Efficiency – For employers, having their staff remotely working also has some big benefits. Lower operational cost is the most obvious, since they don’t have to spend for utilities such as electricity, water and internet connection. However, it is important to remember a few notes to keep productivity and quality at high rates.
How to Transition from Officeworks to Remote Work today?
It is not that easy to transition from office work to working at home even on a temporary basis. Cozy beds, bountiful kitchens and relaxing entertainment systems are surely compelling. Hence, it is understandable why bosses worry about productivity and quality of work from remote workers.
As a solution, employees and bosses must remember these points:
Maintain Communication
Bosses must keep a good communication line open for workers. This is to keep their presence over the employees, which makes them feel they’re still supervised while working. Team managing apps, online meetings and simple chat conversations are helpful.
From a workers’ perspective, it’s important to talk with colleagues throughout a day even on a work from home or remote work system. This is to make sure that everybody is on the same page, which helps in workflow and quality assurance.
Continue Observing Applicable Office Rules
Unless in online video conferences, many office rules aren’t applicable on a remote working system such as dress codes. But vital rules, regulations and standard operating procedures remain applicable. This includes regular working schedules, daily quota and quality metrics among other mandates.
As a worker, taking note of these SOPs would keep you on focus even while at home. On the other hand, bosses would have an easier time pulling the team together with these rules.
Set an Ideal Work Area
what is your ideal work area?
Yes, your home keeps you away from the threats of COVID 19. But seeing it as your entire working area is quite problematic. This means you can work in the living room, bedroom and kitchen or in any spot you like. You’d probably end up lying in the bed or watching a movie while working because of it.
So, set an ideal work area where you can achieve better focus and minimize distractions. A corner with a study desk is alright, as long as you’re away from a TV or a bed. However, a guest room which doesn’t have any bed is better.
Consider Remote Work to avoid the Threats of COVID 19 today!
Prepare your home office and start your work today!
Remote work or Work from Home is certainly great for employees, companies and communities as the COVID-19 continues to spread. So, try suggesting it to your boss along with a compelling plan on how to pull it off. Or if you’re the boss, start identifying who among your employees are applicable to work remotely. Although it appears small, any help in stopping COVID-19 is certainly valuable.
Source: Powerful Advantage of Remote Work from Home during COVID-19 Scare