Coronavirus pandemic has been increasing throughout each and every part of the world since the month of December. After spreading throughout China, this virus has been spreading and not stopping now. Big countries such as Parts of America, Russia, Italy, Germany are greatly affected by this pandemic. Till now, scientists have not been able to find a cure or vaccination for this virus. The only way to stop this virus from spreading is to maintain social distancing as well as preventing physical contact as much as possible.

The Challenges

Due to the same reason, countries are shutting down every company, office, business, educational institutions and public places until a certain time. Employees have been instructed to work from home and fulfill all the tasks given to them. This kind of working procedure is entirely new to employees and companies. They are still figuring out a smooth way to carry all processes successfully. In this path, varieties of challenges occur which include the following:

• Not being able to submit works at a time: In the office, there are assigned desks, a fixed working time as well as the involvement of colleagues in a physical manner. This results in more productive discussions and improved outputs. The effect lessens when it comes to virtual meetings. As a result, employees fail to submit works as per the given deadline. This hinders the combined productivity of the office.

• Unbalanced routine: As there is a lockdown in every area, the need for getting up and following a balanced routine diminishes. As a result, the employee becomes slow at work and also does not follow a working routine which they used to follow at the office. This not only affects the work quality and quantity but they also get slow in regular chores too. This is an all-round drawback when it comes to ‘work from home’ culture.

• Involvement of family members: Living at home does not give the same space of working as an office desk or cabin. There is a lot of involvement of family members. An employee is bound to do the work for their family members such as cleaning, helping other members in a variety of activities, etc. Additionally, in a family, conversations happen. It breaks the flow of work and also tempts the employee to engage in conversations and fun activities. This damages the time he/she decided to dedicate to the work.

• Fewer resources: Not every employee gets an equal amount of resources. This results in work imbalance as well as lesser productivity of the organization as a whole. Companies find it difficult to maintain a balanced distribution between the work pressure of all employees. Many employees have troubled internet connection or other problems in working from home.

• Problems related to concentration: It is very tough to concentrate being at home. There are a variety of activities going on in the house. In this scenario, it is very difficult to execute a project effectively. The involvement of kids can also be there, which can be fatal to the working environment.

Thus it is important to follow some strict rules and regulations while working from home. It will not only increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the employees but also give an optimum and new experience of working from home in times of crisis.

Essential tips to follow while working from home

This pandemic of COVID-19 is the hardest time, employees really need to work hard or the companies will go down. There are chances that it will be very hard and even impossible for some companies to start again and reach where they were before it started. This is the duty of employees that they work regularly with efficiency so that the enterprises feel secure about their future. There are also chances that there will be a cut in the salary if the employee is not working properly.

There are some essential tips which will help people who are working from home during the coronavirus pandemic:

 1) Keep an alarm clock or set an alarm in the smartphone

Just because the office is closed and there is no need to get up early to get ready, it is the wrong way to start the day already. Working early or at a specific time everyday will help the employees to make a routine and stick to it. If the time when they wake up is not decided or changes every day it will for sure have a negative impact on their productivity. Waking up late also makes people feel lazy all day long and it is very hard to concentrate on the work, these things will make things worse. It is better to set an alarm which makes sure that the employee wakes up at the same time every day and then starts their work.

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This is something which is key to manage the time like a pro. There is no substitute for waking up early and getting some extra time during the day. This is something that will also make the employees feel energetic and positive all day long. Most of the time when people wake up late they feel paranoid and they can’t feel good in anything. This makes the person sad, and they don’t feel like working. That, in any case, is not acceptable for the enterprise’s point of view. 

2) Pretend like going to the office

This is something that will affect employees psychologically. When the employee is waking up on time, there is nothing wrong with getting ready just like going to the office. Don’t be too emotional and go to the car after getting ready, this is just a psychological process, it doesn’t require them to go anywhere. So, getting ready for the office like regular days will make up the mind, that it is not a vacation and still you have to work on the same things.

The location has changed, the work is the same and relaxing the mind that it’s home and it doesn’t need to worry much about work, will be negative. There is one more reason for that. There are moments when the employees have to attend the meeting through video conferencing and it is important to look professional in them. Wearing a pajama and t-shirt in a company meeting, not a good impression to make. It is important to take the work seriously and not be ignorant about it.

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Demand has gone down, but it will come back up as soon as this pandemic ends and that is why it is important to work more than ever. This is not a depression, it is an opportunity, to thrive and to give people what they expect. There might be new innovations, it just demands seriousness. Wearing the same clothes, having the same things as on the office table, will help. The human mind is stronger than anything in this world, it works on belief, if the employees make it believe that it is still the office where they are working, it will still work as fast. The way employees understand and react to the environment also affects the speed and efficiency.

3) Change a room or part of the house into a home office

This is a mandatory task and probably the first thing that every employee should do after the decision to work from home. A room, a part of a room or a desk must be turned into a home office. It should have good internet connectivity, extension cords or enough plugs, sufficient light as well as a firm place for sitting and working. This not only gives a look and feel of a real office but also will improve the concentration of the individual.

Another way to convert a small space into an office is to keep a desk and chair which is comfortable to give the feel of a real office. This arrangement can be used in multiple hours. This setup must be away from television and other entertainment sources. Also, the involvement of family members must be minimal in that space. This preserves the privacy of employees. Creating a boundary between office workspace and the rest of the house is the perfect solution for working effectively during COVID-19.

4) Keep in touch with the IT staff of the company

This is important because it is not only a laptop which is needed while working from home. There are many more things like a headphone, or maybe a LAN cable or anything else that can be needed while working. The IT department of the company is the one who is responsible for providing these things to the employees. Make sure to let them know about all the requirements and make sure to find the correct way to collect them. Don’t ask for a way that gives you the virus with electronic gadgets. It is advised that all the citizens follow all the norms set by the governments, and work accordingly.

There might also be some moments when the laptop or the server does not respond accordingly and those are the moments when the employees need to connect to the IT department. IT departments, such as some on-demand app development companies, can access the network PC’s remotely and can solve the problems that occur. There are many issues that need an expert, and that is why it is important that the employees stay in touch with the IT staff of their company.

IT staff and other staff need to work simultaneously during the lockdown because the systems change their places and hence there are a lot of technical issues that can come up. There is no way that someone can come and solve it and hence, all of it has to be done either on an audio call or a video call. 

5) Stay connected to colleagues and seniors

Stay connected to the colleagues and other people in the office through any digital tool. This will keep the connectivity that was there in the office alive. There are so many things that are interconnected in various departments and that is why a connection between them is important. There is some software like Skype or Slack that can be used to improve connectivity. Both the software also allow the employees to share the screen to teach someone about something they are unable to understand. 

6) Tackle the kids

Almost all the schools and other educational institutions have been closed due to this pandemic. This means children are stuck in their homes too. In the midst of this crisis, it should not be forgotten that employees, students and small kids are facing this issue for the first time too. It is important to engage the kids in productive activities while working from home. Otherwise, they can be the reason for nuisance while working. Another solution is to ask any family member to assist and watch the children during the working hours.

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If both the parents have to work, they must try shifts so that one takes care of the child while the other one is working. It is important to learn about new techniques to engage kids while working from home to get efficiency at work. Mobile app development companies have been working on this issue and have resolved this issue to a great extent too.

7) Don’t go into isolation or stay lonely for too long

It is very easy to go into isolation while working from home. It is important that the employees make sure that they are keeping someone along from work either on-call or on VC to save from being lonely. Staying lonely can induce depression or even anxiety and this will directly impact productivity and will slow down the employee. More than work it is important that the health of the employee stays good during the lockdown. This is a health emergency and to fight this, it is very important that the employees or any other person are both physically and mentally fit.

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8) Fix The Working Hours, Don’t Work Any Time Or All The Time

This part is important to keep personal and professional life away from each other. While working from home, it is important to keep a balance and this can only be done with some strict rules. The main rule is, fixing the working hours and sticking to it. If there are no fixed timings, either personal life will affect the work efficiency or professional life will take all the time that employees should give to the family. Both situations are not favorable.

Few Final Words

All these things say just one thing, work properly, and for that, managing time is important and hence, waking up on time is important too. People can even ask their spouse or husband, to work along, to wake up along, and to face this along with them. Having someone along gives a lot of motivation. The people who are living alone during the pandemic might get along with someone on an audio or video call. There are many ways to do things, just like many excuses to avoid them. Find out what motivates and then stick to it. Just remember, it can help in the run. 21 days makes a habit, so, there are chances of catching this good habit and that too for a lifetime.