Best Practices When Working from Home in light of COVID-19

The one word on everyone’s lips and mind right now is “Pandemic“. People all over the world have been advised to avoid large gatherings and some employers have asked their staff to work remotely.


Here in Jamaica, things are no different as schools have been closed for two weeks and some companies have taken safety measures to have their teams/staff work from home to not spread the virus until it can be contained.


There are some of us who are quite familiar with this “work from home” concept while for others, it’s a relatively new concept. 


Today, we will be sharing the Best Practices When Working from Home in light of COVID-19.

Find a Designated Work Area


If you already have a Home Office, be sure to use it! I would recommend a flat surface that is a bit uncomfortable yet functional like your Dining Room table or even the coffee table. 


Be sure to stay away from the bed as this will have you falling asleep quicker than you would like!






Wake up your Regular Time


This is not the right time to “sleep-in” a bit as you are not on vacation. If you wake up the same time each day, more than likely, your body naturally wakes itself up at that time naturally. 


The moment your alarm clock goes off or when you wake-up naturally, is the time you should actually get up.  Remember, this is not a vacation.

Dress Up


I’ve always held the mantra “Get up and Dress up” close to my heart and apply this even on those horrible days when I just want to lay in bed just a little bit longer. 


Get out of bed and put yourself together as if you are going to work. Staying in Pajamas will not feel productive and your mind and body will register as just that! Do your make-up, fix your hair and put on your best outfit that you would usually wear to work.

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Prep your Meals


Now is not the time to be eating out! Let’s be real about this. Food preparation and hygiene is such an intricate and personal thing that requires trust. We don’t know who’s not washing their hands and touching their faces and touching the food.  


Since you were given the green light to stay home use your “panic buying”, to get items that will allow you to prepare meals from home. I personally will still prepare my meals from Sunday so I’m not slaving away over a hot stove daily.





Get the Right Set-Up


One of the most important things you need to get sorted is how you will stay in contact with your team. Do you use Slack or maybe Google Cloud? You might need to look into video and phone conferencing services like Zoom. You, therefore, need to tell your team about these services so they can purchase over the weekend so it will be up and running for Monday.


Also, if you have a Pre or Postpaid plan on your phone, ensure you are able to make and receive plans and also that your Internet service is up to date.




NO TV


TV is possibly THE Biggest distraction in any work setting (unless you are super disciplined) Consider not having your TV on while you work from home.


You can, however, turn it on briefly during your lunch break to keep up with the happenings over the world. 

Shut it Down


Just like being at work — stick to a time to end your day! For me, that is 5pm and I don’t go a minute over. Though your employer might say “since you’re already home” and pile on the tasks. Let them know when your workday ends. 


The “Shut it Down” phrase could also refer to interactions that are not productive or have anything to do with work like un-planned home visits or people wanting to engage in meaningless conversation. Let them know that you will be available at 5pm.

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I hope that I was able to shed some light on how you can effectively and efficiently work from home and that you will use some of these tips.


Be sure to wash your hands, stay away from large gatherings and limit physical touch and most of all don’t panic!


Let me know how you plan to work from home during this “Pandemic”