SUMMARY
Talk to colleagues or industry groups to learn how they are managing this crisis
Make sure you don’t hesitate to ask for help from colleagues or leaders
Working from home does not mean fewer distractions—just different ones or even more
The Framework
A new world order requires new frameworks for businesses to operate in a post-Covid19 world. Our series on how companies are adapting to WFH, pivoting their business models, redefining business functions and processes, and more.
With the Covid-19 outbreak, remote working is no longer a privilege, but a standard operating model for most of the workforce now. Whether or not companies and employees were prepared for it, this is probably the only option left with organizations in order to continue the business operations.
However, the focus should not only be on work getting done, but also in terms of taking care of your safety and mental health. You need to individualize, communicate and set expectations so that you can sail through this crisis effectively.
Here are a few tips that would help employees during this time:
Taking Utmost Care Of The Safety Of Yourself And Your Family
Don’t take any risks when it comes to safety. Ensuring your health is always good for your business. Look up to the experts in your community for health and safety best practices—the government provides helpful guidelines as well as updates on the situation. Talk to colleagues or industry groups to learn how they are managing this crisis. Also, get involved with your employees in developing your action plan so you can identify gaps ahead of time.
Make sure you don’t hesitate to ask for help from colleagues or leaders, whether personal or business-related.
Prepare For Distractions
Working from home does not mean fewer distractions—just different ones or even more. If you’re working from home for the first time, here’s a quick list of common distractions: family, kids, social media, OTT platforms, or your fridge. It’s difficult to focus on work when you’re in the vicinity of your living room couch or your super comfortable bed.
The point is, you can’t avoid all distractions. Being able to spend more time with family is a key benefit of working from home, so shutting yourself away in a corner all day defeats the purpose. Instead, be prepared for distractions and set your boundaries.
Set aside chunks of your day for work, and make your family understand about why it’s important that you stay focused. Keep your smartphone on silent and far away—unless that’s your primary work device. You could turn off notifications for certain apps during the day if that helps.
Give yourself a break. Ensure your work colleagues don’t expect you to be constantly on or instantly reactive. Share your struggles if any and work towards making it better as we all try to figure out this new remote work reality.
Stay Healthy And Exercise At Home
Even when you make the switch to working remotely, it doesn’t hurt to repeat health and safety advice. It’s not like our homes are always spotless and clean, so washing our hands and wiping down tabletops and surfaces a few more times a day can help keep infections away. Remember, this is not exactly the normal work-from-home routine—staying indoors is highly recommended (considering the lockdown in our country).
Motivate yourself to stay active and exercise every single day. You’re at home, working, eating more than you would probably in the office. Therefore, those extra calories are already building up. Suggest your teams to work out a little, download that fitness app or watch a 15 min tutorial—try sharing these tips on exercising in quarantine or just ask folks to do more crunches and push-ups.
For smaller teams, you can even turn it into a group activity: Get on a group video call with everyone and practice Zumba or yoga or just meditate together for 15 minutes! Or a more fun thing to do is dance!
Avoid Unnecessary Investments/Spendings
While the coronavirus pandemic has created a massive global health crisis, the pandemic is also having a major financial impact, from small business owners to large companies, and obviously eventually the employees. During such a stormy period, it’s not just practical but also critical to think about your financial health, especially if you don’t have a cushy amount of wealth to fall back on.
Also, don’t get tempted to invest money in the markets or in invalidated investment opportunities. Right now, even the best experts cannot predict the bottom of the market or the long term impact and recovery timelines. One may end up using from their savings, in stocking up supplies, medicines etc. during this time.
The Covid-19 pandemic is a reality check for businesses and employees alike, and we’re all adapting to it as quickly as we can. Wake up each day, and remain as excited as ever, knowing this too shall pass. Together – we can and we will change the world.
