As South Africans begin 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, working from home has become the ‘new normal’ overnight \u2013 and if properly managed, it can be just as productive as being in the office.<\/p>\n
This is is the view of\u00a0 professor Renata Schoeman, head of the MBA in Healthcare Leadership programme at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB), who said that South African companies now join millions of businesses across the globe forced to learn fast and on-the-job how to manage a completely remote workforce.<\/p>\n
“The spread of Covid-19 has made the adoption of technology and remote and flexible working inevitable, with a likely lasting change in the way we work,\u201d Schoeman said.<\/p>\n
“Being cooped-up with children, spouses and even extended family also poses additional challenges and requires us \u201cto become masters of adaptability and agility overnight.<\/p>\n
“Successful working from home is dependent on an individual\u2019s self-sufficiency (such as time-management skills, self-discipline and motivation), communication skills, adaptability and technological skills,” she said.<\/p>\n
To stay on track while working from home, she advises:<\/p>\n
For employers fearing lack of productivity in employees working out of sight and without conventional supervision, Schoeman said several studies had shown remote workers having greater productivity (separate studies from Stanford University found productivity levels increasing between 13 and 21%) due to less interruptions, such as colleagues popping in for a chat, and fewer inefficient meetings.<\/p>\n
“Employees are less stressed due to avoiding traffic and commuting time (which also saves time, money and environmental impact), having the ability to stay at home with children, especially with the current shutdown of schools, and better work-life balance due to more flexibility in how they allocate their time,” she said.<\/p>\n
Schoeman said the greater independence of remote or flexible work helped employees to develop skills in self-management (self-motivation, self-discipline, focus, and concentration), communication, and the use of technology.<\/p>\n
“Less stress, healthier eating habits and more physical activity means healthier, happier employees who take fewer sick days and don\u2019t put others at risk when ill \u2013 especially important at this time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n