The COVID-19 virus has meant that thousands of South Africans will be working from home in the near future.
It is called homeshoring, which is an alternative to working in offshoring (office), meaning teams operate from their houses to cut costs.
Vivi Ho Quang, customer service supervisor at Gumtree South Africa, leads a homeshoring team that exclusively works from home. She has some advice for South Africans that are setting up home offices for the first time:
Separate work and leisure space
. It is important to keep your work and leisure space separate. If you don’t you will find yourself working during your personal time (and vice versa). A small desk in the corner of a spare bedroom is perfect.
. Physical boundaries also help you if you have small children – they need to be taught that when the office door is closed, it means you’re working and can’t be disturbed.
. Mentally, it’s also important to put on office clothes every daa . . . staying in your pyjamas is tempting, but dressing up sets the mood for the day.
. Create good habits early on. Get into a routine – e.g. set your alarm clock, have breakfast, dress, go the gym, shower and log on. By ritualising your work schedule, it feels natural and you start doing it automatically.
. In terms of equipment, you don’t need much more than good lighting, a chair that promotes good posture and great Wi-Fi. If you are going to use the phone a lot, it’s worth investing in a headset or noise-cancelling headphones.
. Use tools like Slack and whatsApp to check in with team members and managers daily.
. You can buy an entry level UPS device online from R650. That will keep your Wi-Fi up and running. It is recommended to also purchase surge protectors to protect your PC and phones from sudden outages, and a power bank to keep your cellphone charged. Failing that, make sure to charge your laptop and phone overnight.
. The biggest concern is load-shedding, that can disrupt connectivity (including cell towers).
. Don’t mix work and leisure activities, e.g. don’t keep games on a work laptop. It takes a while to get used to, but once you are used to it, you’ll see the benefits of working from home.
