Right now, there are so many great examples of fantastic, humanitarian efforts getting organized to counter-act the social and economic effects of COVID-19, like free educational services, temporary halts on things like evictions and utilities shut-offs due to late payments, and lightning-fast set ups of food and supply shelters. There’s a lot to be proud of!

In the wake of what’s happened in the last month, local and national governments have advised, where possible, that those who can work from home do so in an effort to limit exposure and prevent the spread of the virus. As a company with offices around the globe and a workforce made up of 75% remotely located employees, Cyara is lucky to be able to say that work-from-home is business-as-usual for us, but we realize that this is new for many others.

Conducting Business In Turbulent Times

In light of that, I put together a quick series of three blog posts I’ll publish this week on the subject of working from home with tips I can offer if you and your company – or school, or organization – are having to pivot quickly and transition to work-from-home operations. Disclaimer: Some of these are no-brainers and may seem obvious, but hopefully you can find something of use here.

Today's Post Will Be Focused On "Getting Started" Tips:

Here’s a quick 3 things to start your emergency work-from-home setup:

1. Establish a work space. This doesn’t have to be its own room or anything fancy, but give yourself some boundaries that make things feel a little more official. Doing so will help others (kids, spouses) to see that you are still working, and give you a sense of separation between home and work. Some things to consider as you’re doing this:
   • Location of outlets – make sure you’ll be near electrical/phone/cable sufficient for your computer and any other equipment you will need.
   • Lighting – if possible, give yourself a source of natural light (window, door), but if not, make sure you have ample lighting to support the type of work you do.
   • If they haven't already reached out to you, contact your IT department about questions around licensing, VPN connections, remote access to servers and databases, VOIP system setup, etc. The answers to questions like these will be different for everyone, and you'll need to work through them together. Remember - be patient. 
2. Make a list of your immediate needs. Think about what you have available to you in your regular work environment, and determine what from that list you don’t also have at home. This includes things like office supplies, software and hardware, Internet access and bandwidth, furniture, storage, etc. Discuss with your employer what you can take home with you and/or purchase for the time being, and get clear on reimbursement policies.
3. Determine the collaboration tools and channels that you and your co-workers will use, and then (if you’re not already) get comfortable with it/them. As much as possible, host practice meetings and chat sessions, utilize online training, or work with others who are already familiar with the technology and can help you get up to speed.

Look for the second post in this series on Wednesday with more advice, but if you have a burning question before then on this topic, contact me right now! I’ll do my best to answer your question.