Many companies are able to work from home during this period of social isolation due to the coronavirus. Each employee in your home adapts their space to continue daily activities.
In a completely different structure, it is worth taking some precautions so that the work has the same performance. Check out:
1. If you are the employer, make sure your employees have the necessary conditions to work from home: internet, computer, telephone. It is managers who need to identify possible difficulties.
2. Maintain a routine, at least the schedule. You can't exchange night for day. Follow the hours you would work in the office. Your body is already used to it. Take breaks, just like you would take at work.
3. Be careful with distractions: the internet (even more so these days, so full of news), television, pets and other people in the house. Tell the people you share a house with, that you will be working at a certain time. If possible, set aside a space in the house just for this every day (preferably close to the internet signal) and keep it organized and away from distractions. In other words, working on the couch in front of the TV or next to family members is not recommended.
4. Agree on the new communication format, since there is no longer face-to-face contact: will it be WhatsApp, email, video calls? Communicate frequently with office colleagues as well as clients. Everyone has their own communication preference, adjust as needed.
5. One of the practices that helps prevent laziness and help with productivity is dressing normally for work. Pajamas are not the best option, even if you are at home.
6. Be patient: it takes a while for you (and others) to get used to this new way of working (which, for now, we don't know how long it will last).
7. Be even more organized: make daily lists of what needs to be resolved that day, don't mix personal files with work files on the computer, don't waste time on WhatsApp with personal conversations while you're focused on tasks. It's a new way of working and it requires adaptation and a little more willpower.
