Coronavirus and the Rise of Remote Work in 2020

On March 13th, 2020, President Donald Trump declared the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak a national emergency. With people staying home now more than ever, it seems the remote worker and online business will be seeing quite the surge over the coming weeks. Amazon, Google, and many more small and large businesses have shuttered their doors to prevent the spread as much as possible.

What does this mean for employers and employees everywhere?

#1. It means employers are really going to have to trust their employees to get things done on their own. There is really no ability to look over the shoulders of subordinates when everyone is working from the comfort of their own home. Take a deep breath, and put your employees first instead of your discomfort. Let them stay home if they can. 

#2. Employees are going to have to learn to discipline themselves. If you want to have a job after this is over still and your employer is giving you the chance to stay home, you have to get the work done. We need everyone to do their part to keep our businesses running as normally as possible for our economy’s sake.

#3. It means that we need to be more understanding. Right now, taking kids to work may have to happen for many working families. Calling out of work if you can’t stay home needs to be accepted instead of discouraged. This is the only way to stop the virus-by depriving it of the opportunity of transmission to a new person.  

So please, let us all come together as a society to protect our most vulnerable. Let people stay home from work if they can work from home or are feeling under the weather. Trust your employees to do the job you hired them for. Do the work that is assigned to you so we can keep things running while we are stuck at home. With any luck, the toilet paper will be back on the shelves in a few days. 

Update: We have been stuck home much longer than anyone thought we would be

It is okay to be frustrated if you are just reading this now. Luckily there are a handful of ways for us to combat the myriad of problems that come along with working from home. Here are a few of the main issues that we can face and how to combat them. 

#1. Boredom You are probably tapping your foot and fidgeting while checking your clock or phone every ten minutes. Five may be more accurate! 

     Solve it: Set your alarm for every two hours, get up, and take a walk. Make a coffee, drink some cold water. Turn on your favorite tunes and dance it out for a few minutes. Get out of your chair and get the blood moving through your body. 

#2. Anxiety I don’t know about any of you, but Coronavirus has absolutely increased my anxiety a bit. There is no shame in admitting that. Racing thoughts and struggling to fall asleep may be some common issues you face if you are anxious. 

     Solve it: We have all heard the doctor say it before: Take a hot bath. Drink a cup of tea. Try just sitting in the sun in silence for five full minutes without looking at your cell phone. 

#3. Difficulty Separating Work from Home It is really okay that you are not used to working from home and having to try to separate yourself from work when you turn your laptop off for the day. 

     Solve it: At least until Coronavirus has gone down a bit, we need to create our own little space for working as best we can. Pick even just a chair to call your work chair. When you leave that little space, wherever it is and no matter what size it is, work is over and hopefully it gives you a chance to shut work off. 

Coronavirus will change the way we work, period. 

There is no way that this could not change something about the world. So while you are feeling whatever valid feelings you are, remember to take a few deep breaths and tell yourself that it will be okay. 

Check out the CDC’s recommendations and thoughts on mental health, stress, and coping during the coronavirus pandemic. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html