Coronavirus: Work From Home

“Man selects for his own good: Nature only for that of the being which she tends.” -Charles Darwin

The above quote by Charles Darwin implies that nature would always fight in its best interest and whether or not nature is correcting itself with COVID-19 (the coronavirus) is something we do not know. But what we do know is the devastating toll the coronavirus is taking on the world.

Not only is this virus restricting movements, but it is also ending already scheduled events. (i.e possible cancellation of the Olympics), and damaging the world’s economy. Does that mean that people will stop working at their workplaces to do the more traditional jobs such as sewer and woodworker?

Or maybe making money online and videoconferencing will become more and more common. Since its initial discovery in the Wuhan province, the coronavirus has claimed close to 7,130 lives and infected over 181,835 people in 114 countries. And, these numbers are changing every day.

The 10 most infected countries (Last updated: March 16, 2020)

The array below gives an estimate of the people infected by the COVID-19. It highlights the percentage of deaths and people that recovered from the disease.

For more up-to-date data, visit the website worldometers.

This is much higher than the disease’s predecessor the SARS virus which claimed 774 lives before it was contained. During the time of the SARS outbreak, China was responsible for 4% of the world’s economy.

Although it had some effect, it was mild compared to the damage COVID-19 is causing now that China controls 16% of the world’s economy. The presence of production and assembly plants of major companies such as Apple, Volkswagen, Hyundai, in China has caused the economy to nosedive.

Asides from assembly plants, stock prices, and oil prices have drastically dropped affecting the economy of world powers in Europe and the United States.

The virus which has resulted in travel bans in countries and state of emergencies in some which results in a complete lock-down of all trade until the virus has been contained was deemed an economic pandemic by Professor of International Economics Richard Baldwin.

Although these precautions are required, they have put a standstill to economic infrastructure and governments are rapidly declining. For example, in light of the coronavirus Argentina with a case toll of 17, had begun taking precautions to contain the virus.

According to a report by Aljazeera, the Argentinian economy, which was already struggling with enormous debt, is said to fall into a debt default due to the implications of the virus. Struggling economies are thus forced into surrender in a bid to lower the spread of the virus.

In fear of a virus that has not been contained and most especially one that is easily transferred as in the case of the flu, many corporations have put out statements encouraging their employees to work from home.

Examples of such major corporations are Amazon, Twitter, JP Morgan, T-Mobile, Coinbase, BEI. These corporations have not only encouraged their employees to work from home but have also canceled business travel and switched to video conferences.

The problem with the work from home option is that it only applies to a relative number as most jobs require personal human interaction or for the employee to be on-site for work to be done. Another issue employees face with the work from home situation is that the lines are unclear as to if they are entitled to paid leave or if it is considered a normal workday even though it is from the confines of their home.

Organizing your work at home

Remaining indoors in a state that has noted cases of coronavirus is a wise preventative measure but places a damper on the livelihood of laborers and others who provide hands-on services.

In a bid to provide a solution in the current market where personal interaction might result in the loss of life, we have collated means to prepare for a situation where working from home would become a necessity.

Create a workspace: even before a mandatory work from home situation comes into play, every worker should have an office set up within the walls of the house. This setup should ideally be in a corner of the house that provides seclusion from others.

It should also not be a constantly plied road as that would result in distractions. In-home spaces where size is a factor, creative thinking would have to come into play in determining where the workspace would be.

Treat the day as a normal workday: choosing to work from home comes with its distractions on a normal day let alone having to work from home. The key to ensuring that deadlines are met and work is actually being done lies in treating the day as an actual workday. For most, it begins as a mental challenge.

Being around a home environment is not something our brain automatically relates to work, so a certain lackadaisical attitude appears. If one has to start the day as you would when going to work and put on work clothes for the reality of ‘working from home’ to occur then we advise that you do.

Set boundaries: it is one thing to mentally prepare yourself to work from home but another to relay that information to others in your home especially if everyone is grounded at home. To maintain the sanctity of a workday, we advise that boundaries be set as they would be in the office. Boundaries like when you can be interrupted should be set.

Carry your work home with you: if a state of emergency was to be called in your state, chances of you being able to return to the office to carry paperwork is unlikely. The best way to prepare for an emergency is to prepare ahead of time.

It is better that employees should either be digital in their workplace so that the information can be accessed from any location (except of course for those working on secure matters) or have information stored on a drive that can be carried wherever.

Maintain communication channels: if you were to be in the office, there would be constant communication with colleagues and supervisors on the project at hand and this should continue when you work from home. Communication channels keep everyone in the loop of what project is ongoing, that which is to come and that which was done away with.

Plan ahead: as stated earlier, the best time to plan for an emergency is before one occurs, which is why we encourage seeking out viable work from home options that are not limited to the official duties.

A Solution for Health and the Economy

The strong reliance of the global economy on personal relations for its progression is one of the reasons for its dramatic decline in light of the coronavirus. The high contagion rate of the virus and lack of a cure has many organizations focusing on securing life over business growth.

Statistical analysis curated by Bloomberg researchers shows that the coronavirus could result in a loss of $2.7 trillion by the global economy which is approximately the amount of the entire GDP of the United Kingdom. The coronavirus highlights just how interdependent the world market is as a shutdown of one market is resulting in the decline of another.

The work from home alternative is not only a health-conscious way of handling the coronavirus as it;

– Limits the spread of the virus

– Confines possible victims to the house where they can’t put others at risk

– Limits bacterial exposure

But, will also force the economy to readjust itself by creating alternative markets that;

– Aren’t dependent on international trade to develop itself

– Survive as standalone organizations

Working from home might not be sustainable in the long run for world development and trade but in situations with viral outbreaks such as this, the market will continue to flourish outside of interplay from other economies.

If most businesses operating outside the office space, a temporary shutdown of manufacturing plants would not result in a drop of stocks or product availability as most products would be home-based.

If nothing else comes from the coronavirus, it has opened the eyes of organizations to the need for self-sufficiency in a world that is too reliant on the input of others to progress.

For more information on the coronavirus, please visit:

• cdc gov coronavirus (for the US)
• gov uk coronavirus (for the UK)
• Australian Government, Department of Health (for Australia)
• New Zealand, Ministry of Health (for New Zealand)
• gov ie coronavirus (for Ireland)
• popular mechanics (general information on the COVID-19)
• WHO, the World Health Organisation

Since the coronavirus outbreak is more likely to become a pandemic, it is crucial that solutions for working at home are available for the majority of workers.

Make money from social media marketing and blogging

The number of internet users and social media users are on the rise. And, this number are more likely to increase during the next few weeks as more people will be staying at home and working remotely. If you enjoy spending time on the internet, helping people and, sharing ideas you should consider making some money online.

Starting a blog or a YouTube channel is not going to require more time than you usually spend browsing the web. Instead of consuming, you can be the one provided content. If you have some knowledge in a particular field, skill, or any experience that can be beneficial to others then you are good to go.

Blogging

Starting a blog don’t cost a lot of money, basically you just need a few things:

Web hosting: You can get a domain name for less than $50 a year.

Website builder: WordPress, Wix, google site are three examples of website-builder with free plan available.

Write good content: provide value to people and SEO friendly

Be consistent: Generally, it takes time to rank a blog and to make money from it.

Monetize your website: ads, affiliate links, etc.

YouTube Channel

It is possible to make money from any of the social media platform.

But, since YouTube is the second search engine after google, you can expect to reach a wide audience and build a sustainable stream of income. The process is not so complicated:

Create your channel: You can create your channel for free with only a gmail address.

Video editing software: VSDC Free Video Editor for windows and DaVinci Resolve for Mac, Windows or Linux. These are two great software that offering free plan.

Camera and microphone: Many YouTubers started their channel with only a cell phone and a laptop and were able to grow with thousands of subscribers before investing in a camera or additional microphone.

Create good content: always provide value, good content, appealing thumbnails and tittle, a SEO friendly description.

Be consistent: Upload regularly and engage with people.

Monetize your website: ads, affiliate links, etc.

You can start a project now without spending a lot of money. You will certainly not become rich overnight but with hard work, a lot of people are able to make six figures online. Taking a course, finding a mentor, being part of an online community of people who share the same goal. These are the best ways to become successful online.

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