Due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, a lot of businesses closed down indefinitely. Everyone is affected by this virus, whether big or small businesses. While some industries are surviving despite the ongoing health crisis, some have been greatly affected. This includes tourism, travel, and events industries.

Event rentals, staging and dance floor rentals, and other events businesses took a great hit during this pandemic. However, there are also some of these businesses that used what they have to help in any way they can. Some tent rentals and table and chair rentals suppliers lent their tents and other equipment to serve our front liners.

Will this be the new normal?

Aside from businesses, COVID-19 has drastically changed the way we are living our daily lives. From crowded streets and traffic, you can barely see vehicles and people outdoors. People are encouraged to stay at home until the lockdown is lifted. Some employees who have to work at home in the meantime.

Working remotely already exists even before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on humanity. Almost a quarter of people in the US have been working from home (at least part-time). Until there is no vaccine to finally cure this disease, what we are experiencing now will be the new normal.

Because of the ongoing health crisis, more and more companies might already consider a work-at-home option for their employees. However, it may not apply to all industries. Nonetheless, this option can be very useful in case something similar to the COVID-19 crisis happens in the future.

The challenges of working at home

Working at home may seem to be a lot of people’s dream job. Imagine waking up and not rushing to work. You can work on your pajamas and work at your own pace. With the available technology we have right now, remote working should be that easy.

However, it is not always the case. There are still a lot of things people struggle with working at home. Some of the most common challenges both workers and employers experience in working at home include:

Isolation/loneliness

From daily meetings in the office reduced to working in awkward silence in your home office. It can be annoying to see those same faces every day at work. But admit it or not, you miss seeing their faces and talking to your team face-to-face.

Communication issues

There are emails, video calls, or texts to communicate with your office team. However, it can lead to miscommunication. On effective communication, body language is also important – which is usually absent in emails and text messages.

Distractions at home

Just when you think you can work at home in peace, it’s not always the case. working at home can be twice as challenging. Such distractions can be in the form of a clingy child, a barking dog in the background, or procrastination.

How to effectively manage remote working

Everyone is affected by the ongoing health crisis. On the one hand, a lot of employees have to get used to the work-at-home life. However, employers also have to make some adjustments not only to save their employees’ jobs but also to the entire business. Here are ways to make your work-at-home life more bearable and productive.

Use video apps.

Instead of communicating through boring emails, make use of video conferencing apps. There’s Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, and other apps that your team can use to check on your team.

Spice up your communication.

Emoticons are there for a reason. Aside from using video apps, you can also make messaging more fun and casual through emoticons and .gifs.

Set a time where everyone can huddle.

There are some teams where some members live in different time zones. It can be challenging to come up with a common schedule so everyone can be available for some quick video chat.

The more, the merrier!

Make sure to add all of your team members so your video meetings will be more fun and engaging. Of course, don’t forget to fulfill your work obligations and ask for project updates. After that, you can talk about anything outside work and say hi to your teammates.

Is it for you in the long run?

Work at home may not be for everyone. Party tent rentals and table and chair rentals may not be as in-demand unlike before COVID-19 happened. However, there are still ways to keep businesses going.

As mentioned, there are some suppliers offering tent rentals in Maryland especially for our front liners. There are also a lot of companies that allowed their employees to work at home. We can expect the economy to drop significantly during these times.

However, this should not be a reason to show empathy and realize our responsibility. Now should be the time to appreciate and cherish what we have especially in this trying times.