Guest AuthorShital Kakkar Mehra
Trending

Working from home in COVID-19 crisis

By | Shital Kakkar Mehra | Executive Presence Coach for CEOs I Business Communication Expert I Best-selling Author I Co-Founder Katalyst, NGO

Navigating the global COVID-19 crisis as you are asked to work from home can pose several challenges. As a starting point, working for days without supervision and the presence of colleagues requires oodles of self-discipline and commitment. Focus on the following points to enhance your productivity as you continue to convey a professional image to yourself and your firm to clients, investors and internal teams sitting across the globe.

1.   Designate a work area: While work spaces get automatically defined at the office, it takes planning to demarcate them at home. Ideally, this area should be away from the din of a running household.  

2.   Chalk out a workable schedule: Explain your work timings to all the concerned parties i.e. your family & your employer and inculcate self-discipline to stick with it. If unable to do so, you will be working over the weekends, staying up late or waking up early to meet deadlines, blurring professional and personal boundaries, leading to exhaustion.

3.   Make investments: Invest in high-speed wifi, sound-cancelling headphones and a high-definition camera for video conferencing. Invest in good equipment from branded companies, something taken for granted at the office.

4.   Maintain good posture: While it’s tempting, resist the urge to take work-related calls propped up in your bed. A well-supported body at the desk in an ergonomically designed chair suffers less stress, ensuring a better functioning mind.

5.   Maintain body weight: As cubicles don’t come fitted with stocked refrigerators, your meal timings get automatically defined. On the other hand, home tempts you with an extra cookie or a piece of leftover pizza!

6.   Retain professional look: Shabby dressing and poor grooming hamper productivity. Its a proven fact that clothes impact your mind!

7.     Convey Executive Presence : Enthusiasm while speaking with clients and colleagues, punctuality, sticking to deadlines and a strong work ethic are important, whether working from home or seated at your office.

8.     Network and Socialize using technology: Office-goers enjoy hidden benefits like a coffee chat with colleagues and water-cooler gossip, while telecommuters are isolated from all these interactions. Fill this void by scheduling e-meetings with colleagues and peers. Go through your LinkedIn contacts and make a list of people you have lost touch; end them an email request for a brief chat.

9.   Update knowledge resources: Its a good time to read articles, enroll in online courses, , watch TEDX videos and subscribe to online journals.

Republished with permission and originally published at Shital Kakkar Mehra’s LinkedIn

Source
LinkedIn
Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button