In the past few weeks, Companies across the Globe have rolled-out a mandatory Work from Home (WFH) policy amid the spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) which has been declared as a pandemic by World health organization (WHO). Now every organization has been forced to adopt a Robust Work from Home Policy and Business Continuity Plan.
Pre-COVID-19 Scenario:
Work from Home is not a new concept sincemany Startups, Content Writers, Designers and Budding Professionals start their business journey by working from home. Many Big Corporates (especially in Information Technology Sector) have WFH policies, for facilitating flexi-working lifestyle of their employees’. So WFH had a remarkable presence before COVID also, its just that this concept has gone viral and everyone is adapting it to keep their businesses running.
Now Let us have a Look at the Real Challenges being faced by people:
New Concept for Many:
For a lot of people, the concept is entirely new and as a result they are facing numerous challenges to maintain the pace of their work.It is quite intimidating for many,particularly for those who has kids to take care of, get distracted easily or if they are unfamiliar with working remotely.
Working Mindset:
With family being around all the time and kids playing and everybody chilling, it often becomes difficult to focus your attention. Finding a silent zone at home to concentrate at Work is a Herculean Task.
Collaboration with Team and Clients:
With face-to-face meetings no longer being an option, it become very tough to communicate information with teams and clients. This affects work flow to a great extent.
Sharing Documents:
When you work with a team, sharing necessary files and folders every now-and-then virtually is an even greater challenge.
Team’s Productivity Check:
In times such as these, it becomes very difficult to review the work of your team and to see if they can submit the work on time as per the original plan.
Data Security:
In case of remote working, files and folders are accessed by everyone, thereby putting the data at a huge risk of being leaked or misused. The biggest challenge for us to ensure the security of such data.
Amidst this Pandemic – Who is Thriving?
But if we see, there is one sector which is thriving amidst this pandemic- The TechnologySector. It entails solutions not only to the present situation, but it is the future of working for all organizations. Technology has helped us to eradicate all the present hurdles and facilitated connectivity and data flow in a way never experienced before.
Here are some suggestions for easily Navigating through these tough times and for reducing your hassles of Working from Home:
Developing a New Working Mindset:
With a new mindset, it is easy to untangle the mental web of working in a brick and mortar office. If you’re able to avoid distractions and stay focussed in your work,you can easily stay productive just like you used to be in a brick and mortar office.
Get Used to Virtual Meetings:
Just like weyou have moved from having long calls to WhatsApp Text Messaging, it’s time to move from having virtual meetings. It saves time, enables flexi-timing overriding the time and travelling constraints, can be recorded and referred and future and much more. There are many available communication tools like – Skype, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Slack etc. are few popular options.
Cloud Data Storage:
This will make you independent andyou won’t have to depend on someone else to access your data, as it will be available at the click of buttons. For easy navigation, it is advisable to have data storage policy which determines the manner in which the final data needs to be saved. This reduces confusion and unnecessary time spent in locating important files / folder. Google Drive, One Drive, Drop Box, We Transfer are some popular file storage and transfer tools / applications.
Project Management Tools:
These tools helps you to manage your projects efficiently by allowing you to delegate tasks, share attachments, send invitations to clients, set deadlines, label tasks and sub-tasks and, manage team’s progress, track time spent on each assignment and much more.Zoho Projects, Trello, Clickup, CCH iFirm are some popular Project Management Tools.
Data Security:
As WFH entails storage and sharing of data, which is vulnerable to attacks, it is necessary to have some data security protocols. Using password managers (like Last pass, One pass etc.) to restrict access of passwords to staffs, having antivirus software installed (Quick Heal, Norton, Kaspersky etc.), avoiding opening of e-mails from unauthorized persons, not saving passwords on devices etc. are some basic security protocols for data security.
Cloud Accounting:
It enables real time accounting of financial transactions which can be accessed anytime from anywhere around the world connected. The data are stored in cloud are highly secured, have inbuilt features like attaching bills / vouchers with your entries, connected banking (bank accounts syncs with accounting software), readymade reports, audit trails, etc. QuickBooks, Zoho Books, Xero, Sage etc. are some popular Cloud Accounting Tools.
Some Big Players have come-up with All-in-One Business Solutions to enable seamless shift from Traditional to Digital Environment by coming-up with a Comprehensive Packages of various popular applications that integrates with one another for a seamless user experience. Companies Like Google, Microsoft and Zoho have come up with such application
Comprehensive Business Solution Package by Google (G-Suite)
Comprehensive Business Solution Package by Zoho (Zoho Remotely)
Work From Home – The Way Forward
At the end of the day, it is about having good boundaries between home and work life.
If one can plan it out, communicate well, and exercise self discipline, there is no reason one won’t be able to manage professional and personal responsibilities with ease.
In the Post-COVID Scenario, more and more people will opt for working from their home as they will be able to save time spent on commuting and can give more time to their family and friend. With the sudden surge in WFH, now flexi-working and remote workforce doesn’t seem to be the future anymore. It’s Now!
With the right mindset, working from home can work like a charm
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