Working Remotely, What You Need to Know

The COVID-19 crisis – Working remotely to help

These are trying times. First, know that that your health and safety is the highest priority. Second, we’re all in this together so cooperation and our best efforts are required. We appreciate the leadership of local, state and federal government officials and the dedicated healthcare professionals on the front lines.

With a united effort, we can overcome the challenges ahead and return to conditions of health and prosperity.

That said, we want you to know that with the coronavirus outbreak impacting populations worldwide, it looks like we’re in this for the long haul. In the NYC area, employees of all non-essential businesses may be required to work from home. It’s a necessary measure to slow the spread of the virus and ease the burden on overstressed healthcare resources. Where not required, working from home certainly helps.

Fortunately, any location with a decent internet connection can be set up quickly to tie into your office network, enabling you and your employees to work remotely and securely.

Perhaps, you’re already working remotely but are experiencing connectivity problems, slow response or other issues. With a call to an IT services company experienced in mobile workforce technology, those problems can be fixed to improve productivity and lessen the frustration. It may be prudent to reevaluate sub-optimal settings and update your remote applications. Most upgrades can be done remotely.

What it’s like to work remotely

For many, working remotely will be a new experience. So, you may be wondering what to expect. With a big change in your daily routine, you may adapt easily, or like many others, you might struggle.

Knowing about some of the bumps and challenges will help you adjust quickly and effectively. eMazzanti Technologies has engaged remote workers in various parts of the country and around the world almost since our founding in 2001. And, we’d like to share a few things we’ve learned along the way.

Productivity tips for working remotely:

Set expectations for household members. When family members or roommates see you at home, they automatically think that you’re available for conversation and other activities. Tell them that you need them to respect your work time and to limit interruptions. Otherwise, expect to be talked to and offered food or other distractions about every 10 minutes. You won’t get much done.
Communicate regularly. Set up times during the day and week to check in with co-workers and your boss. Collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and Office 365 make it easy to work cooperatively on documents, chat and hold video conferences.
Plan time off. Determine ahead of time the hours you will be working and the time you will enjoy being off. Otherwise, you’re always working, but not efficiently. Without set hours and deadlines you become less productive and allow too many interruptions. Decide if you will be working during the weekend or be off.
Vary your activities. It’s hard to maintain productivity for a full 8-hour stretch, particularly in the afternoon. Some like to break up their workday into two or 3-hour blocks, interspersed with an hour of yard work, gardening or household projects. Having spent time away from their desk during the day, They often work 1-2 hours in the evening or during that time they would have spent commuting.

Tips to stay healthy working remotely:

Set up shop far from the fridge. The closer you are, the more snacks you’ll consume. Sure, it’s great to eat while you’re working, but stock up on nuts and other healthy snacks and limit your intake or the pounds will add up quickly.
Stay active. Sitting for long periods is not good for your health. Experts say it can result in blood clots, diabetes, heart disease and other problems. Try to get up at least once per hour to stretch and take a few steps. Focus on something outside for a minute to reduce eye strain. Break up your routine with short walks or exercise.
Don’t be isolated. If it’s just you at home, you must plan to get out regularly. Don’t go more than two days without leaving the house. Go for walks, visit friends and family, if appropriate in light of local restrictions, and engage in outdoor activities. Otherwise, you may find yourself depressed and uninterested in working or doing anything else.

You can be productive out of the office

The advantages of working remotely make it desirable for most people. Many enjoy the freedom of controlling their own schedule. The drawbacks of isolation, boredom, overeating, sitting too much and lack of motivation, if planned for and overcome, can lead to a great experience and high productivity.

Most people who work at home are more productive. You can be, too.

With the right technology and the right technology partner, you will work effectively from outside the office until the crisis is past. Once you’re set up to do it, you’ll be able to remotely work from home or anywhere else when circumstances require it or you just want some flexibility in your routine.

The Cloud makes it possible

Having a mobile workforce is a big advantage of today’s cloud-based technology. Not only does it allow for a seamless transition to a remote workforce in times of natural disasters, but also allows your organization to save on office space. Thus, some organizations choose to take full advantage of cloud server technology.

Locating your servers in the Cloud keeps your data more secure and allows you to easily scale your operations up or down when needed.

Moving your servers to the Cloud relieves you of the responsibility and costs of maintaining server infrastructure. Then, you can focus those resources on accelerating growth and profits or on other priorities.

Make the best of the current crisis

We all want to get through the COVID-19 crisis in good shape. Fortunately, you can while boosting your productivity to a whole new level with fast, reliable, and flexible Cloud services from eMazzanti Technologies.

The Cloud makes it easy to access your data from anywhere (without compromising security), enabling you to deal with the current crisis, optimize your mobile workforce, save money on IT infrastructure, and become more nimble than your competitors.