Get Ready to Work From Home During the Coronavirus Outbreak
If you wake up tomorrow and receive an email from your boss informing you that the office recommends everyone to work from home to protect against coronavirus transmission, how much work can you do?
Let’s say you have a laptop or computer that gives you access to documents and files that you’ve created on your work computer, either through a VPN or through tools like Google Docs. Let’s also assume that you can communicate with your coworkers via email, phone, or messaging apps like Slack.
What else do you need to effectively work on outstanding tasks and projects – and how much of that did you leave in the office?
In my case, I need not only a laptop, but also an old school notebook, which I use to jot down everything from actions to quotes from interviews. If I had a laptop but did not have a laptop, I would be able to do some of my work, but I would not be able to refer to the physical notes I took to guide me in this work.
This means that when I take my “work from anywhere” bag, which helps me do freelance work in everything from libraries to bus stops and hospital waiting rooms, the laptop comes with me. So get at least two working handles, noise canceling headphones, and a whole bunch of chargers.
When I was an executive assistant, there were even more physical documents that were as important to my workflow as my inbox and digital files. Some of these documents, of course, may not be available to travel with you to and from the office; either your boss doesn’t want you to take folders and folders with you at the end of each day, or you worry about bringing them home one night and forgetting to bring them the next morning.
So you might be asking yourself (and / or your boss) if it’s time to digitize some of these physical files. You can scan and download them to your scratch disk or – if you want to be quick and dirty – you can take a photo of the document with your phone.
The same goes for things like physical calendars, white boards, a kanban board you made out of meat paper, and sticky notes (was that just me?) And everything else in your office that isn’t on your work computer, but is still an important part of your workflow. Save this information so that it is available no matter where you end up working.
I know that some workplaces may not be too keen for you to copy company information to get virtual access to it, even if it’s as simple as taking a quick snapshot of the wall of your own office. Use some discretion, talk to your superiors if necessary, and don’t do anything that could fire you.
But consider taking some steps that will allow you to access your work from anywhere. Between school closures, offices advising employees to work remotely, and people canceling or postponing travel, you may find yourself in a situation where you have to work from home whether you like it or not, so make sure you are prepared.