The Real Impact Of Working From Home
Singapore, and the rest of the world, are going through the biggest business continuity planning exercise due to the novel-coronavirus, COVID-19. Work from home has become a necessity over a business perk in the past few weeks. In light of the recent coverage on this, we’re taking a look at the impact companies and their employees face when working from home.
Work Productivity
The willpower to not get distracted by the laundry pile or binge-watching your latest obsession on Netflix is something that’s going to be tested. Sticking to a schedule and setting up a dedicated working space will help combat this, in spite of the desire to take your laptop over to the sofa or pop out to a yoga class.
Looking at this in a more positive way, you have to motivate and organise yourself without your supervisor physically present to help, which can help foster independence and time management skills. Being truly independent and relying on self-discipline are key strengths to acquire. You can also apply the time saved from the commute towards working hours to boost your productivity.
Communication and Collaboration
Not being around your team can decrease the amount you talk to one another and limit impromptu brainstorming sessions you may have enjoyed in the office - it’s difficult to replace the office interactions and connections online. This is where video chats and phone calls will become an integral part of working.
One way to look at the problem of not sitting next to your team is that you will be forced to improve your communication skills. Be responsive and keep meeting times that you would normally have in the office in order to ensure you’re staying accountable.
Loneliness
Being in the comfort of your own home means that there are no people around, so if you’re someone who likes having your own space and you need quiet to focus, you’ll enjoy being completely in control of your surroundings. One thing that you might not realise until you’ve been working for a while is the lack of interactions. Office conversations are hard to replicate from home, so you may start to feel out of the loop with your colleagues.
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Working from home is something that’s on the rise, no matter what the situation is in the world right now. If you’re looking to hire and seeking insights on the job market, get in touch with our team for more information: [email protected].
