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Our experience working from home: does it get better or worse?

Highlight of the week (HOW)! - Catch your biggest stories here.

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Highlight of the week (HOW)! - Catch your biggest stories here.

Photo Credit: Retha Ferguson

With all the life adjustments that the emergence of the sweeping Coronavirus has made us make, the reality of working from home is something we have to embrace for some time. However, there are employees of companies who were used to working remotely even before this epidemic.

Some examples include :- Appen- global AI and Machine learning solutions company which was voted the best in Forbes’ list of Companies that work remotely and Cisco the multinational technology conglomerate. 

In Kenya, companies have had to adapt to allowing their employees work from home in response to the veracity that the Coronavirus poses. Here are experiences of various professionals who have started working remotely to avoid exposure to the global pandemic.

Anthony Macharia, Acquisition, Talent & Capability - Safaricom PLC.

It’s on a Tuesday morning at 9am. I’m from asking my neighbor’s kids not to play outside my living room window for the next 1 hour. No one in the house should come to the living room. I connect to a weekly team meeting through Microsoft Teams. Normally I would be physically in a meeting room at the office with the team for the meeting. But the current circumstances dictate we work from Home. 

I can tell half of the team have just woken up in time for the virtual meeting. The call for social-distancing and physical interaction has necessitated this move. It’s all part of the Business Continuity Process (BCP) which has been activated by the Coronavirus outbreak. Working from home brings about different experiences. In the middle of our meeting, one of my colleague’s kids enters the room demanding attention from the mom. We all laugh. 

Most of the time we meet at work and relate as colleagues, but this is also an opportunity to get a glimpse of your colleagues’ other life. After another 10 minutes, we can hear a cock crowing. The guy is already in ‘shags’, just to be safe. The meeting ends with a call for taking caution and accountability. Working from home reminds us that work is a space and not necessarily a place.

Vinny, Content Specialist, Transsion.

Working from home is a very nice experience owing to the simple fact that traffic is avoided. The internet has made everything easy as we can collaborate and share ideas online which really begs the question of why I must wake up and hassle my way to the office wasting valuable time on the road. The only worry now is the virus.

Identity withheld.

My productivity is low and I don’t feel not motivated. I work while in bed most of the time, sending emails etc. and I’ll be tempted to take a nap, watch a series or be on WhatsApp. It’s quite boring and I miss my colleagues. 

Identity withheld.

My experience working at home is a bit mixed up. Being at home is drawing my attention to many things that I have been postponing working on in my house e.g. fixing shower, getting my carpet washed etc. I am honestly replacing my boss's time with my own stuff. I am also appreciating spending time with my girlfriend. Nevertheless, I am scared about this Covid-19 virus and can't just wait to hear it's no longer a threat.

You'll definately like this: Working From Home: Will productivity be chasing the winds?

 

Written by

Kelvin Mokaya


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