As businesses are encouraging its workforce to resort to remote work because of the coronavirus crisis, many find it hard to adjust to a new setup, let alone having to deal with tech issues that come once in a while.
It may seem like a luxury, but working from home can be stressful especially if your Wi-Fi suddenly acts up, your back starts to ache, and there's suddenly a cacophony of noise that you're not used to hearing while working.
A work-from-home setup becomes unbearable when you feel like your productivity is being slowed down. Luckily, these issues can be remedied by using tech to its fullest potential. Here are some fixes to the most common issues when working from your own place.
Sluggish Internet Speeds
Remote work is possible these days because of the power of the internet. But if you suddenly notice that it's taking way too long for one page to load, it can disrupt your train of thought and all that gusto for work is gone.
Before day 1 of working from home, make sure your Wi-Fi system has the latest support. Upgrade your gear beforehand to make sure you can work seamlessly without interruptions. But if your speeds are still inferior, talk to your provider for faster broadband speeds but expect a much higher price.
It's worth noting that internet speeds can be really slow these days, and that's of course, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are lots of us using the internet these days because we're all stuck at home, so all that bandwidth adds up. That being said, there's not much we can do but deal with snail speeds.
Unexpected Noise
If you've been working in the same office for most of your adult life, chances are you're pretty much used to the noise your workmates make. But working from all of a sudden can cause distractions especially for parents who have a bunch of kids with them or if you live in an urban environment.
To make sure you're undisturbed, get yourself a pair of noise-canceling headphones. You can get one for around $100 but you can always get more expensive ones if you have some extra dough to spare.
Sudden Body Pains
The chair you're using at home may not be as ergonomic as the one you have at the office, and that's why your back is killing you. Since we don't know for sure how long this work-from-home situation will last, you might as well invest in a comfortable office chair or a standing desk. For those with aching wrists, a comfy wireless mouse and ergonomic keyboard should do the trick.
Work-from-home veterans advise a very simple but efficient setup: a laptop or desktop computer, an ergonomic office chair, noise-canceling headphones, and a therapy lamp in case you need to do a lot of video calls. If sitting down becomes painful, use your standing desk to stretch those muscles.
