Are you ready to #WorkFromHome?

This week, I had the chance to work from home for a day. I’ve worked from home several times before but for not long periods and certainly not for entire days. Next week, I might work from home a little bit more but, with the nature of our industry, it will not be possible to do so every single day.

In my thoughts and prayers are people who do manual work (like mechanics and construction workers) or those whose jobs do not allow them to work from home (like hairdressers or shop attendants). I also want to salute those on the frontline like security people, medics and my fellow journalists. May God bless your work and guard you as you selflessly risk your health to serve others.

Like millions of people around the world able to follow the social distancing recommendations of #WorkingFromHome, I have had some adjusting to do. Here are a few challenges I encountered.

1.  Battered computer syndrome – I have access to a laptop, but an old one. It has been through a harrowing life. I won’t go into too much detail but I will say that, in recent months, it has been lying forgotten somewhere and, on weekends, it is revived for CBC assignments for my children and a movie here and there. Apart from a missing battery (it therefore must stay always plugged in) and some missing keyboard keys, it is also probably infected with a number of viruses…the virtual ones.

2. Internet interruptions – You can’t simply dial IT, you’re on your own on this one. If you have your ISP’s customer service number, you have to put up with being put on hold as the representative attends to all the other people who are working from home.

3. Expired licenses – and other software problems you never knew you had – until now.

4. Unfamiliar territory – You just can’t get used to this mouse (or you have to contend with that annoying in-built mouse). Or you can’t remember your passwords because you have them saved on your work computer.

5. The kids – they have always had exclusive access to this computer so they can’t understand why you now want to hog it. “Put for me a game!” Or they can’t stop bickering. Or they suddenly want water to drink every 10 minutes (and no one else can pour it for them).

6. Distractions - The allure of Netflix or Showmax or whatever other non-work-related thing you’ve been using your laptop for. After all, it has never been a work computer.

7.  The fatigue – Yes, at work, you sometimes even worked for 12 hours straight but remember that you went to meetings, went out for lunch, walked over to colleagues desks and even did some field work. You also had a relatively comfortable chair compared to the dining chair, couch or bed you are now spending your day on.

So if you’re not already working from home and you’re considering, keep all these things in mind. Perhaps bring your laptop to work or take it to an IT specialist shop for someone to have a look at it. Also, you might need to upgrade your internet and get a comfortable chair that can support your back for hours.