FLEETDRIVE
Working from home during COVID-19
We’re all working from home these days, but what are you doing to ensure you and your colleagues
are staying safe and productive? Below are five very simple tips to keep you going during these
challenging and likely ongoing times.
1. Maintain a sleep schedule
It can be very tempting to take advantage of
your newfound free time a little too much but try
to resist it as much as possible. If, normally, you
go to bed at 10:00 pm but now you are going to
bed at midnight or later, you are ultimately doing
yourself a disservice. Your body thrives on a set
sleep schedule, and trying to break from this new
“schedule” when you return to normal work will
be that much harder.
2. Take breaks
Chances are, breaks are a part of your standard
work life at the office. Do you take a lunch,
morning break and afternoon break? Do you
stand up to talk to your coworkers or grab a cup
of coffee from the break room? Do you go on a
walk when the weather is nice? Don’t let these
healthy activities slip away when you are working
from home. Breaks are important for your stress
levels and for your creativity and productivity.
3. Create a dedicated office space
It can be easy to wake up, grab your laptop
and start working. If I were to guess, I would
say it’s about 15 minutes before your back or
neck starts to hurt and you try to find another
effective position. Chances are, all of your other
equipment or documents are out of reach, like
your headset, mouse, notepad and so on. If you
have the space or ability to set an area (preferable
with a comfortable desk and chair) as a dedicated
office space, even if just temporarily, it can greatly
improve your situation.
4. Be considerate of coworkers
with kids
You will more than likely have to engage in virtual
meetings or video calls with coworkers or clients
while working from home. Day by day, more
schools and daycares are closing down out of an
abundance of safety and in order to comply with
health officials’ recommendations. This results in
parents, who are working from home, and kids,
who might not have classes anymore, being in the
same house or flat at the same time. Inevitably,
you may hear the child in the background of the
meeting, or your coworker may have to hold or
comfort their children during a virtual call. At this
time, you might need to extend a little bit of extra
grace to those who are in inconvenient situations,
and are trying to juggle work and kids at the same
time.
5. Be positive
Your mind and body do not need you to be viewing
everything negatively all the time. While you should
pay attention to the WHO and what the government
is announcing, and you should practice the health
and safety tips that they provide, they cannot
overwhelm your thoughts. Focus on the positives
that this circumstance brings: you have more time
with the people and family immediately around you,
you have time to improve yourself and your skills,
you are saving on commuting time and costs, you
can finally watch that show you’ve been putting off,
you can start your hobby up again and so on. Enjoy
what can be enjoyed while doing your part to help
the situation.
ISSUE 22 2020 / WWW.AFMA.ORG.AU
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