How to Work From Home, As Told By An HR Expert
HR professional Rajneesh Singh has tips and tricks for employees & management on working from home.
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Video Producer: Shelly Walia
Cameraperson: Athar Rather
Video Editor: Kunal Mehra
Whether they like it not, small and large companies across the country have been forced to consider, if not fully implement, the work from home model for their employees.
The outbreak of COVID-19 across the world has reconfigured social norms and compelled governments and corporations to reorient themselves to a new way of working – the remote working model.
“For employees and employers, it’s a first time experience for many people. There’s so many things attached to working from home and you have this unique situation in front of you,” said Rajneesh Singh, an HR professional for the last 30 years.
From what the management can do to ease the transition to how employees can be productive despite staying home, here are some tips and tricks for those on both sides of the coin.
Three Tips for the Management
NUMBER 1: PREPARATION
it’s very critical that we prepare ourselves. Everybody is told exactly how we are going to work. That becomes very very important. Which means putting schedules into place as to what time we are going to start and what time we end. There are certain platforms that can be used, those platforms need to be exchanged with people. The very important thing at this stage for the employer is to really build a sense of responsibility into the employee and that’s what brings me to the second question is all about communication.
NUMBER 2: COMMUNICATION
I think communication in this whole process becomes very critical. How it is going to be beneficial for everyone? And how is business continuity going to be maintained? It's important for the organisation to lay down clear guidelines about how the whole format is going to work.
NUMBER 3: ACTION
In the action phase, since we have begun working from home, it is important to keep in mind that the WFH model will affect many people differently. It is advised to check-in and gauge how the format is working out. For effective monitoring, responsibility is divided along two lines: The managers have to be as serious as the employees. A certain level of discipline is needed from both parties.
What can Employees Do?
1. CREATE A SPACE & LOOK THE PART
Please create a small spot at your home or where ever you stay, where you can work from. I think that is very important. Almost like an office atmosphere, which means you’ve got a very decent background, because if tomorrow a video call needs to happen, things should look very decent in the background. What outfit you’re going to wear is going to be very important.
2. BE ACCESSIBLE
It's very critical while working from home to be available. Lots of calls happen, and I think its important that you are not seen as an employee who is not accessible.
3. USE YOUR TIME WISELY
Third very important thing for employees is the time that they are getting on their hands. How do you utilise that time becomes very important. Whether you get into exercise, go for long walks or start cooking, they are all great habits to have.
(With inputs from Arpita Raj and Shorbori Purkayastha)
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