COVID-19: Is Work-From-Home (WFH) a Boon in Disguise for Employees?

WFH

“Establish a pre-work routine and an after-work routine. Working in the same place where you wake up, eat, and sleep can make anyone go crazy without proper boundaries in place.” – Marissa Owens, Opportunity Business Loans


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Q2 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more

Work-From-Home (WFH) has become a buzzword globally. Kudos to COVID-19! Several global companies including Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Hitachi, Salesforce, Spotify, LinkedIn and Twitter have asked their employees to set up home offices and instructed them to work from home. WFH appears interesting and easy. It throws innumerable opportunities and several threats in this digital age. In this regard, we will discuss the pros and cons and the dos and don’ts involved working remotely from the office.

I have been working at home as an author without any regular employment and income for more than five years. In the wake of COVID-19, I share some tools and techniques that I adopted and implore you to take the best that suits you to reap the benefits of WFH.

When you work from your home you don’t have to follow any office etiquette but you have to follow your office ethics. WFH has merits and demerits. The merits outnumber demerits. Some of the merits include saving your time, money, energy, and hassles involved in commuting. You have the freedom to choose to work when your mind is creative and productive.

Also, you can work at your own comfort but at your organizational pace. You can stay away from office politics. Some of the demerits include getting sidetracked from your roles and responsibilities, inability to unplug after work, and lack of knowledge about workplace developments. You may become a couch potato if you eat excessively and habituated to a sedentary life.

Dos and Don’ts

“If you work from home full-time (or on a regular basis), it’s really easy to let your work life bleed into your personal life. Maintaining a boundary is important for both halves of the equation.” – Tyler Littwin

Here are some dos and don’ts when you work from your home. Structure your day as you would work in your office. Prepare a to-do list and work on them religiously. Be a tough-task master. Adopt professional etiquette. Complete your assignments and tasks promptly. Don’t mix up your professional life with your personal life. Draw a clear line between your organizational commitments and family chores.

Fix time specifically and clearly on your tasks to complete and move on to execute your personal tasks. Communicate your expectations clearly with your family members and ask them to respect your office work. Don’t check your emails throughout the day. Instead, allocate a block of time to check them. Avoid excessive usage of social media as social media is an attention killer. Take breaks to recharge yourself. Stick to your regular sleep schedule. Engage in physical activities that help you relax. In a nutshell, organize your home office, decorate it, work religiously, take breaks regularly, engage in physical activities, and be mindful.

WFH Is A Boon In Disguise

Working from your home is like reinventing and reinvesting your energies innovatively to achieve productivity and performance. It is an opportunity for your family members and children to understand your challenges and appreciate the amount of hard work you put in the workplace. They empathize and respect you. In a nutshell, WFH is a boon in disguise for employees.

WFH is a double-edged sword. It depends on your self-discipline and how you utilize it effectively. To conclude, working from your home is a pressure when you are distracted from your objectives and is a pleasure when you are disciplined and focused on your tasks professionally to accomplish your goals.

Note: Adapted excerpt from my award-winning book, “COVID-19: Humans’ Search for Humanity

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