During this Covid-19 pandemic situation, everyone is doing their part to flatten the curve by staying at home and practicing social distancing. People’s daily lives are disrupted, including their working and family lives. People need to adjust to the change, in order to continue their day-to-day living to a minimal disruption. However, as this is probably the biggest disruption in our generation, many people face difficult to adjust accordingly.
Working from home differs greatly from working in the office mainly due to the environment and logistics setup. When one works from home, one of the major adjustment to be made is the logistics setup to be done in order to create a conducive environment for one to work efficiently. The basic setup includes ensuring that the broadband is in place so that he can always stay connected. This allows remote access to his workplace network and to be able to communicate and collaborate with his co-workers. Nonetheless, with many internet users in the same neighbourhood logging in to the same network at the same time, slower and interrupted internet connections happen more frequently.
As for the home workspace itself, getting the basic furniture right is important – a proper table with sufficient space for him to place his computer, documents and some room for writing and a comfortable chair for him to work while sitting. Currently, most people have a mobile phone, hence the ability to call and talk to others is not an issue in current times. For those who thrive in a work environment where there is no disturbances, more adjustments are needed handle distractions found at home, which are not found in office. Examples include children’s constant seeking of parents’ attention as they are not able to comprehend that their parents are working or background noises from TV shows or music playing. Adjustments to handle these include having a discussion with their family members to have a schedule that works around his office hours or have a room in the house, which can be converted temporarily to his workplace and will be “out of bounds” during office hours.
With family members now having more interaction and facetime during this lockdown, it is imperative that each family member sets aside time for himself and at the same time organise family activities to foster bonding. This is a good time for one to look inward and relook into his priorities and focus on family ties and oneself.
Children who stay with their parents should spend some time to help their parents come up with a plan to adjust to this new life, ensuring that their parents’ individual needs are taken care of and that they have activities on hand to spend their time meaningfully and productively indoors. Have a discussion with family members to find out one another current interests, in order to shortlist some indoor hobbies that everyone can take up during this time. They can even plan some group activities or games that the whole family can enjoy. It is vital to help parents plan some physical activities to ensure that they stay healthy.
Even with all the challengers, humans are very adaptable and flexible creatures, though our current lives are impacted by Covid-19, with the right and positive mindset, we are able to make the necessary adjustments to ride out the current storm.
