Lockdown – Cambridge Dictionary defines this term as “asituation in which people are not allowed to enter or leave a building or areafreely because of an emergency”. But, Merriam-Webster gives anotherinteresting definition: “the confinement of prisoners to their cells forall or most of the day as a temporary security measure”. For the pasttwenty days, I have been struggling to fit myself in either of these twodefinitions. While my perception keeps fluctuating between these two optionsseveral times a day, it really doesn’t matter. Bottom line is that I amconfined within the boundary of my apartment – “Lakshman Rekha” iswhat was mentioned on the TV, as I remember.
In sync with this lockdown, I have become a part of the”Work from Home” regiment. I am not new to WFH (Work from Home), andhave been working from home off and on for a couple of decades during myearlier job roles. First-timers may find home-working a challenge, and WFH foran extended duration may also invoke complications, both at a physical andpsychological level. Given the compelling circumstances, WFH has becomemandatory for a major workforce in the country. The same holds good for a hugestudent population, who are forced to home-study, with locked-down academicinstitutions. Rather than sulk about it, we can tackle the situation with apositive approach by following some of the under mentioned tips :
Work from Home starts with the word “Work”. It isnot a paid vacation. Even if you are physically at home, the nature of tasksand deliverables remains the same as conventional office. Accordingly, yourseriousness towards the work cannot be diluted just because you are physicallyat your residence.
Follow the routine – as if you are working from Office. Getready and dress up for work. A common occurrence is for people to take forgranted their home-location and work through the day in their night dress. Thisis the first sign of lethargy creeping in, and could seriously impact yourproductivity.
Although multi-tasking is the order of the day, do not pickup any domestic chores while you are working. Segregate work time from personaltime – that is the key. Working and cooking do not go well together, nor doeshousekeeping.
Set up a proper workplace at your home. A lot of people workin their living room with continuous distractions like television, playing kids,blaring music or so on. Another wrong practice is to work with an inappropriateposture. Ideally, the WFH environment should consist of a separate room with astudy table and upright chair. The current space limitations do not granteveryone the luxury of a dedicated study, especially for those of us living incramped apartments. One has to apply due diligence to allocate a properworkspace within the available resources. If nothing else works, your diningtable should be a good alternative (as long as you don’t keep on munching allthe time).
Ensure the availability of work-related basicinfrastructure. This would mean access to a proper and uninterrupted Internetconnection, which is the key requirement for working from home. Barring certainemergency situations, you would have the choice of multiple data connectivityoptions and could choose the one best suited for a given workload, though it ispreferable to go in for a connection that gives you the maximum speed.
Determine that your computer (desktop/ laptop) are in goodorder and robust enough to support the applications needed for your tasks, assome applications may have high hardware requirements. Depending upon thenature of your work, you may require additional equipment like printer/scanner,landline phone.
In case you plan to conduct conference calls forinordinately long duration, it is a good idea to have a secondary phone for thepurpose. Keeping your primary phone busy for extended durations may not beappropriate, as your co-workers/ clients may be trying to reach you.
Follow proper etiquette for audio and video calls. Avoid anydistractions, background noises and cross-talk. This is one of the main reasonsfor you to be working in a secluded room rather than your living room or any crowdedarea.
Plan tea and lunch breaks strictly as per your officeroutine. Unscheduled breaks result in an imbalanced eating pattern, which couldcreate health issues.
A major downside of WFH is lack of physical exercise. Whileworking from home, make sure to take intermittent short breaks. Physicalexercise by way of an End of the Day walk or a sprint up and down a few stairsis a nice idea.
This list could go on with a multitude of Dos and Don’tswhile working from home. However, following these basic tips would ensure thatyour Work from Home is a pleasant experience with a much enhanced productivity.
The author has three decades of industry experience inglobal delivery management. His expertise lies in Entrepreneurial strategy,mentoring, and career counseling. He is currently acting as consulting advisorand mentor to several startups.