The COVID-19 pandemic has hit businesses hard globally. Almost all of Western Europe is enforcing mandatory rules for people to work from home unless there are valid reasons for them to do otherwise, such as essential services.
In Taiwan, major manufacturing companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co are putting their non-production employees in remote work mode to contain the viral spread.
Home office might last for several months and this could become a permanent trend after the virus outbreak.
While this change of work style is an immediate relief from unnecessary exposure to the viral risk, it might also inherit productivity cost especially over the long term.
While one bright side of having to work from home is that it saves time previously spent commuting, it could be a burden to many people.
For example, many find it hard to unplug after work; many find it easier to get distracted by children; many struggle with communication among coworkers; and most of them find it hard to concentrate due to the layout at home, which is not meant to be conducive for work.
To improve productivity for those who are adjusting to this newfound flexibility of working from home, it is important to find ways to put that productivity back on track while working at home.
For working parents, it is a good idea to work out a roster with each other for managing their children, as childcare might not be available in these challenging days.
This enables the other person to engage in uninterrupted work.
Short chunks of focus are key. Working at home does not entitle you to the luxury of having eight solid continuous hours a day to work on your craft.
Neither is eight hours healthy nor necessary, as research on the basic rest-activity cycle as proposed by the “Father of sleep medicine,” Nathaniel Kleitman, who has strongly pointed out that people work best in 90-minute intervals before they need to recharge for the next bout of productivity.
To enhance productivity at work, innovative technologies can help, such as the use of cloud-based apps to schedule your e-mails and for virtual meetings.
For a longer-term solution, it is worthwhile to set aside a budget for home office design. For example, a good spatial layout, high acoustic quality and biophilic design can make your home convenient and comfortable for working from home with other family members.
Flexible home office design can drastically improve productivity and maintain sustainable living that keeps everyone in peace.
COVID-19 might have been the catalyst this year, but there is no doubt the future of work is going to shift to remote options.
This inevitably means we have to become productive at home, despite the challenges.
Joo Kwang Chan is the cofounder of MediOmni, a management consultancy based in Hong Kong. Ng Ming Shan is a LEED AP, and a registered architect in the UK and Switzerland who is doing research on construction automation and digitization at the Chair of Innovative and Industrial Construction at ETH Zurich.
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