Challenges of WFH (Work From Home)
We who are working in IT companies always wished to have WFH but never got the luxury of it. Now we are getting this opportunity because of the Coronavirus COVID-19. We are realising that it is not an easy task sitting at home isolated from the whole world, working virtually.
It's been a week sitting at home and I must say it's really a tough job to be at home. Regularly, you have to motivate yourself to work. The biggest problem with which I face daily is balancing and maintaining the mind and body.
It is difficult for the people who are sociopaths. Isolated from everyone means you have no one to interact with. That said, you can connect to your close ones via technology. In my case, I need someone around me with whom I can talk and I think that plays an important role in our lives. These are the minor things that we take for granted. On the other hand, I think the amount of time we have has increased our ability to think deeper and connect with the person within us. That is the best part!
The real issues I face at work are:
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Doubt Resolution - It happens with me all the time. If I have any queries, I have to wait for my colleagues to respond over email or chat which is slower communication compared to face to face conversation.
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Distractions - At home you have to manage your work as well as your body. You have to prepare your meals yourself most of the time. Say before started working you ate your breakfast. That was the good start of the day. At Around 2 o'clock you have to again go to the kitchen and prepare a meal for yourself. It's little bit annoying to go in the kitchen in between your working time.
- No schedule - Difficult to maintain schedule. In my case, If I am doing some interesting work, then I will not get up from my seat until it finishes. So this is the weak point of mine that causes health issues later.
How I overcame these challenges:
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Virtual Zumba Session - I have started zumba virtually where all the team members of zumba come and join us. It's really refreshing and brings more enthusiasm within me. Like I do zumba for my fitness as well as for my mental health, you can also start doing exercise or any physical activity with your family or roommate daily and schedule a time for it. I can guarantee that this will work 100% like a magic.
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Do video calling daily - By doing video calling, meetings, conferences online we can reduce the isolation suffering. This also increases productivity in work. It happens with me that when I talk with to my team members discussing some work related issue, while conversing, discussing real issues, increase productivity.
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Pair Programming - Pair programming is the technology where two people work together at one workstation. One person writes the code and other observes it. After sometime, they can even switch the role. The main benefit of this technique is that you will get the feeling of the office where you used to work with other employees simultaneously.
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Go for a walk - If you are living in a society and you have a park in it then definitely you can go for a walk because fresh air is also important for our health. While going, please take precautionary measures.
- Do one enjoyable thing - Do one thing that you love the most and because of the office you never get chance to do. Like I love to cook, whenever I feel low, I cook something interesting that changes my mood. Likewise, you can watch movies/TV series on Netflix or paint or clean your home. Do whatever you like. That will also help in increasing productivity at home.
In the end you have to admit that technology can rescue us in this critical situation, technology has given us the opportunity to work and provide benefits to others.
Precautionary Measures
Clean your hands regularly and thoroughly with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth as hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses quickly. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. Moreover, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
If you are suffering from fever, cough and have difficulty in breathing, seek medical care immediately.
Precaution measurement from WHO:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
See live status of Coronavirus cases in India:
https://corona-india.metamug.net/
