I do not intend to bore you with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) issues as most of us already know a lot about this pandemic. However, it is pertinent to mention that COVID-19, caused by the infamous CORONA VIRUS, is a viral disease which originated from Wuhan in China. It is contagious, attacks the respiratory system and could be fatal in some circumstances. This pandemic which has taken the world by storm, has completely changed our lives, especially with the drastic measures being churned out by various governments across the globe, including Nigeria. Of interest is the ‘Stay at home’ directive in Nigeria, for selected states (Abuja, Lagos, Ogun considered to be at higher risk of exposure to the pandemic. This was a few weeks after the 1st index case was identified and isolated for treatment in Lagos, Nigeria. The numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients have been on the rise since the first strike.
As a follow on to this ‘Stay at home’ order to check the rapid spread of this disease in Nigeria, travels have been restricted locally and internationally, except when absolutely necessary and permitted by the government authorities. Exempted from this, are those in the medical practice as well as those in the front lines supporting in combating this disease, those in food processing or food industry, security officers and others who are so designated as providing other essential services. With the lockdown and subsequent closure of most offices, individuals are now forced to work from home, a hitherto unacceptable work style in most of the corporate Nigeria where staff in most offices must dress up and show up daily as one of the prerequisites for earning their pay. This stems from the erroneous mindset that, the only way to be accountable and productive is by physically showing up at work. Well, how times have changed, and with it an attendant change in mindset, even if it is ‘forced’ Individuals, especially those in the corporate world, have now adapted to setting up ‘shop’ at home using any available/convenient space in their homes for that purpose.
This is especially so for those who expect to get paid even with the ‘sit at home’ order. They have to earn their pay and so must have creative ways to conduct their affairs. And so, most employers had to equip their workers, even if it was a fraction of them, with required tools to enable them work from home. Of course, this applies to those who are favoured to still have a job in these times. Others have lost theirs for obvious reasons. Who would have thought that this was possible in Nigeria a few months ago, especially
for most of the indigenous conglomerates and medium sized businesses? Who would have thought that employees could really get some good quality work done outside the confines of the office without ‘spending’ their work time running their personal businesses/interests while the job suffers, as most employers were configured to
assume?
Welcome to a new way of working – “working from home”, a form of flexible work style that can also be referred to as remote work, telework or telecommuting. It’s all about a shift in MINDSET. Multinationals and a couple of forward-looking organizations had since embraced ‘flexi work’ as a part of their work philosophy.
For those new to this, flexible work usually referred to as ‘flexi-work’ is a working arrangement that provides flexibility on where, when and how work is done to produce required results. In the more advanced economies, statistics have shown that more employees appear to favour the flexible work style because of its benefit in supporting a balance between office and home needs by integrating work and life requirements. Studies have also shown that productivity is not necessarily compromised because of flexible work styles and so staff selection and hiring should not be jeopardized because of an employer’s intolerance for flexi-work style.
Unfortunately,flexible work style had been a hard sell for long to most indigenous companies for various reasons ranging from fears that employees will be distracted resulting in a loss of productivity and subsequent negative impact on profitability, a lack of infrastructure, to a lack of other softer issues that could support effective work from home, or anywhere else outside of the office.
Well, with our current reality, we are no longer left with a lot of choices, are we? Working from home has become our new reality and to remain relevant and profitable we must embrace it. Below are some of the things that need to be considered if we wish to make a success of flexible working or working from home.
Power For a country where power is a major challenge, this is a huge requirement and a factor to be seriously considered in planning or discussing remote work. What are the sources of power to be considered as an alternative to the general electricity supply and who pays for this?
Computer Whether it is a laptop or desktop, it is a requirement for remote work since it is the basis
for all out of office work. The computer is used for the work itself, emails and meetings and so it is a must for telecommuting.
Internet (WIFI/modem) Strong internet connectivity is another must-have in telecommuting because it enables
online interactions with supervisors, colleagues, customers and prospects. Telephone
A functional smartphone is also a requirement for communication when on-the-go. Dedicated ‘work area’
This is very key to enable productivity and minimize distraction. It could be a dedicated room for those that can afford it, or a convenient space set aside for this purpose. Schedule your work/Set up objectives
To be productive and remain focused, a work-schedule is a must. This will spell out the agreed work requirements for the period as well as the expected deliverables to enable tracking and performance assessment.
Of course, the backbone for effectiveness during telecommuting or working from home as we refer to it, is discipline both on the part of the employee and the employer or supervisor. For the employee, focus on proper time management and accountability are key to delivering quality in good time while for the employer, discipline in setting clear expectations, tracking progress, providing feedback and periodic check-ins to interact with the employee and provide support where and when needed. These are necessary for success in remote work and technology is available to support with this. I am hopeful that things will significantly change for the better in this clime – in favour of flexible work when these trying times are over. Then companies that want to adopt remote work style will have to include that in their work philosophy and therefore design policies to support the practice.
We will be happy to support you if you wish to give it a go. Please send a WhatsApp message to 08144322985
Chinwe S. O. Ogbanufe is a Management Consultant with a bias for People and Leadership with over 15years in Management Consultancy and Industry.
Chiogbanufe@gmail.com
