Businesses around the globe have taken difficult but necessary actions to protect the health of their staff during the Coronavirus pandemic. Especially in New York we have felt the pain. Many have chosen to implement a mandatory work from home policy to ensure the highest amount of productivity is maintained.
There is nothing more important than human life but the truth is if all work stops businesses responsible for providing jobs would suffer greatly, some may even cease to exist. This article was written to help our readers who have had very little time to get adjusted to working from home. Let’s call this a crash course as we explain how to transition from office work to remote work and still be productive.
Did you know that about 3.4% of the American population work remotely as of February 2020? This equals roughly 4.7 million people. Flash forward to March 2020 and that number has multiplied practically overnight, largely because of ‘social distancing’ and ‘quarantining.’ We are here to help our clients in Buffalo adjust to computing from home, but still using the tools they need from their office like Email, VoIP, Network Security and access to critical computing systems and CRM’s.
Now that we have no choice but to make lemonade out of lemons let’s get to work. Literally!
Setting-Up a Makeshift Office
For those of us who don’t already have an office at home, we tend to imagine our at home workspace will be so much better than our office at work. Goodbye cubicle! In a scenario where you need to quickly assemble a workspace your dream office may not come through anytime soon. Many of us also don’t have a spare room waiting to be turned into an office. Here are some tips on setting up a comfortable, efficient workspace at home.
- Try to locate an area that is quiet and free of distractions. The kids’ play area will not do!
- Check out the lighting in your chosen spot and make sure it is sufficient for your vision.
- Natural light or a view of the outside is great for helping you to not feel like you’re locked away in a box.
- The temperature of the room can affect your comfort while working. Stay warm or cool, the choice is yours.
- Do you have enough electrical outlets or phone jacks for your work equipment? This is where extra long telephone cables and extension cords may come in handy. (Or if you are using a VoIP system, even better. Then you will simply need a strong internet connection).
- If you don’t have an ideal work desk and chair just ensure wherever you choose to sit, you maintain good posture. Look around your home, you will find many things that can be turned into a temporary desk or chair. The solution could be as simple as putting a kitchen table in quiet area away from disturbances, positioning your computer and sitting in an ergonomic chair
- Internet, internet, internet! If you need a stable internet connection for work start by checking your internet speed. Contact your service provider if your service is not satisfactory. Bad internet connection may cause simple tasks to take longer to complete and will affect communication. A back-up plan is to have data service on your mobile phone. If you lose your local or wireless connection at home you can always use your phone as a hotspot to connect your laptop or to check emails and do simple tasks.
Even if there was no Coronavirus, the secret to working at home is to have adequate
contact with your employer and to know precisely what is expected of you.
The tips above are a good place to start your work from home experience. Feel free to make yourself as comfortable as possible as you make the best of your situation. When was the last time you got to wear your pajamas to work? Perhaps never, now is a good time to try. (Unless you are doing GoTo Meeting calls!)
Connecting to Co-workers and Business Partners
After setting up your workspace at home it is now time to step into the virtual workspace where you will need to communicate with your boss or staff, suppliers, shareholders and other important parties. This is where our services help our clients to increase connectivity and ensure that everyone feels they are being heard and are still a part of the team.
Our job is to always consider the needs of our clients, especially when they need us most.
Remote work requires technology and security when accessing company information from outside networks. We partner with businesses to help ensure that they have secure access to data via cloud computing and are able to send or receive emails without delay through our email management services.
Many of our clients rely on our remote access services now more than ever to promote productivity and collaboration from anywhere at any time. You are not alone in this adjustment process and you should know many of us are doing what we must to ensure good work continues. Working from home is an exciting prospect that requires a little planning and a lot of discipline. Once you have decided on the ideal space to set
up your workspace, going to work will feel like a new adventure. The greatest obstacle to overcome at this stage is being caught up in other tasks.
Treat your time in your home office exactly as you would in your company office and working from home will be an enjoyable and satisfying experience.
Of course, if you need Managed IT Services, IT Support, Microsoft Server support or general business computer help around Buffalo, please give us a call!
