We’re now two months into social distancing because of COVID-19. To avoid contamination and spread, your company may have transitioned its workforce to remote work.  If you find yourself working from home now, there might be some shock in adjusting to your new workspace.  We have some ideas to keep up productivity and maintain sanity while doing your duty to “flatten the curve:”

1. Finding your work-life balance at home might be more challenging now that you don’t leave your work at the office.  This might mean breaking up your normal work schedule to manage things at home.  Children, pets, and other tasks might require attention now that child and pet services are closed.  Having a significant other who can trade off on smaller work blocks might be a fantastic way to maintain productivity.
2. Have a dedicated work space.  You might not already have a dedicated space for working, such as an office.  If you are refashioning an area in your home for working now, try to use that space exclusively for work, or at least during your designated work hours.  This means getting up and leaving your space when taking breaks and minimizing distractions that might otherwise take up your time in this space.  Making sure you only associate work with your space will minimize your impulses for distractions.  But don’t forget to take breaks from time to time!
3. Ensure that you’re maintaining close and efficient contact with everyone on your team.  Maybe the transition to remote work has been easy for you. Great!  The transition may have not been as convenient for the rest of your team.  Be mindful of this and touch base frequently with everyone, making sure your methods for communication are robust for both ends.  We take for granted the ease of running ideas by someone who’s a cubicle away.  

Lastly, consider how remote work has affected productivity and employee comfort.  Perhaps remote hours provide a benefit to your company, allowing for more flexibility among workers.  Organizations are transitioning to many different arrangements and configurations to fit new demands in the short term and long term.  A consulting firm with change management and process improvement experience such as PIM Savvy can assist with restructuring your company while minimizing waste.  E-Learning courses for training, digital spaces for work-specific utilities, and customer/employee hubs can save time and restore sanity amid what feels like constant instability.

The team at PIM Savvy sincerely wishes you all good health and hope you do what you can to minimize contact with others in the coming weeks.  Stay safe and stay productive!