During this time of craziness, it is extremely beneficial for employers to help employees adjust to working from home. Inc.com, a resource for small businesses looking for tools and inspiration, has given its readers a list of recommendations on how to help employees adjust to working at home during the COVID-19 outbreak. There are four key elements that together will help employees be productive while working from home. These recommended elements include:
- Having a dedicated workspace
- Having schedule time for work
- Making sure to take breaks
- Having strong communication between colleagues
An employee’s dedicated workspace should be a place in his or her home that eliminates all possible distractions such as a small area in their home that has a desk or a table. Next, it is important that employees make sure to balance making sure that they pay close attention to their work schedule. Making sure that work and personal life do not blend together. This can be prevented by creating a well detailed schedule that portions out time for work and time for personal items such as housework and exercise. One thing that should be included in everyday schedules are times to take breaks from work. Lastly, having good communication between colleagues is key. There are a variety of different ways to have successful communication between employees. Such as using email, instant message, video chats, and phone calls.
Softwares such as Zoom, WebEx, AnyMeeting, and Slack have become very popular and useful for businesses who are having employees to work from home. These platforms commonly provide users with a space to schedule meetings, a way to give webinars, the option to create conference rooms, a way to communicate via instant message and even a phone system. Currently, the most talked about softwares are Zoom and WebEx. Zoom and WebEx are even being used by schools and universities across the United States that have been instructed to teach remotely. The following imagery is an brief comparison between the two softwares: