Technology Challenges for Telecommuters

Remote work often becomes the norm, as in cases of pandemic scares and others. The beginning of 2020 saw China struggling with quarantine situations which soon spread to other parts of the world. In such situations many offices resort to asking employees to work from home; this, however, opens up a new world of challenges that people have to adapt or overcome to make the work at home situation pleasant and motivating.

Perception Versus Reality

Many might have thought that working from home would be luxurious and a boon that the pandemic had brought on. There are flexibilities to enjoy such as time for doing different tasks, e.g. laundry, cooking one’s meals. playing sex and the city slot machine and respite from having to deal with difficult co-workers. However, reality often becomes apparent after a day or two. One realises that the biggest hurdle is Wi-Fi that comes with poor speed connections and is often inconsistent at home. One could also find problems using their office software in their home computers. The ease and smoothness with which the database systems work in office LANs are often difficult to replicate in home computers. Also, in offices, one can easily reach out to the IT personnel, while at home they need to resolve their tech problems themselves.

Distractions

This is another hurdle that many people face. They are often tempted to play games, read the newspaper or log onto their favourite casino games. However, playing video slots and other casino games can help people take a break from work from time to time.

Internet Connection

This often becomes the main hurdle which slows down productivity; one often finds their home internet unreliable; as a result, video calls become a challenge; many software programs might be difficult to load and operate with. 

Those who are new to telecommuters can learn valuable lessons from others who have managed to reach a smooth setup and are able to pace their deliverables from home. The main mantra that they offer is: Minimise with less gadgets and apps. Unless it is mandatory for you to log in through a VPN to access office systems, those who can disconnect and compute on their own will find it easier to use their intermittent internet connection as and when required. 

If a dedicated and high-speed connection is required, especially for those who are in IT, they need to invest in having the resources ready in their home. A dedicated broadband cable connection would help make internet connections at home more stable and fast. 

Reducing the usage of resource-rich software and apps on one’s computer will also help projects to proceed faster and in a smoother manner from home. There is often an overabundance of software and tools loaded in one’s phone or computer; if one needs to have reliable devices to complete their work and have fast connectivity, it is important to reduce clutter in such devices.

Video and Telephone Connectivity

Many need to stay available for phone calls as well as for video conferences. In such instances, it is necessary to ensure that one has the right phones, computer screens or headsets. If one is planning to telecommute from home for long, they would find a larger screen monitor more refreshing than having to work on cramped screens. Hence, it would be right to invest in Large Monitors with screen dimension 27 inch and of high resolution.

If one needs to ensure that the call connections are good, besides the internet connectivity they need to consider wireless headsets of premium brands. One can invest in earbuds of Jabra, Logitech, Sony and similar brands, since their products have good noise cancellation features. 

Lighting

This is also important for one to be able to stay productive and motivated. If possible, one should station themselves near sources of natural light like an open veranda. Natural light helps enhance the mood which, in turn, helps one to stay focused for longer hours. For nighttime activities one could invest in daylight or light ‘Therapy Lamps’. These help one to enjoy natural light like surroundings. That makes it congenial for night time video calling as well. 

Ergonomic Seating

This is another important criterion when it comes to telecommuting from home. Often one ends up with sore back, wrist pain or strain in the neck. One can get remedies from such aspects by investing in the right couch or chair. There are well-built chairs for offices that one can invest in as well as a desk. 

Accessories

There are ergonomic keyboards that are good investments; one could even pair it with a wireless mouse. These can also be carried wherever one is working from.

Keeping It Simple

While having the right setup is important as well as the right technology infrastructure, it is important to keep the setup minimal and simple. Investing in a good table and chair along with reliable internet and connection accessories would go a long way to ensuring an efficient office environment at home. Since most people do not have much space to allocate to their profession in a dedicated manner, it often becomes necessary to use minimal resources and keep the environment clutter-free.

Remote Collaborations

Many people often collaborate in teams. When they have to collaborate with others in a remote manner it becomes difficult, especially, if people are used to working together in physical nearness. There are many apps that are developed for team collaboration. Many offices have people working on them since often they need to collaborate with long-distance employees or team members. 

With remote collaboration, it is important to set timelines by when certain tasks would be finished and updated by respective team members. Many apps such as Slack are known to offer features like calendar sharing, document editing, and video conferencing. One can rely on other general-purpose apps like Google for similar collaborative features as well. These aspects make it easy to assign tasks to others, to receive updates and even to chat online to discuss important matters and steps.