Being in Washington state, the COVID-19 (also referred to as coronavirus) outbreak has impacted many employees like me that work in the heart of downtown Seattle. As the virus and the associated panic spreads, public health officials in King County recently recommended that businesses allow their employees to telecommute throughout March. My son’s school district also announced on Wednesday that all sites would be closed for up to two weeks.
Amidst this scenario we are in right now, the one comforting factor for me is that my company, Flowroute, now part of Intrado, was one of the first in the Seattle area to provide its employees with a voluntary work-from-home option. I was provided with all the tools and resources that enabled me to continue working from home remotely without any difficulty. Even though having two kids at home and working full time is challenging, it gives me satisfaction in knowing that I am avoiding contact with large numbers of people during this “critical period” in the outbreak.
Since many of us will be working from home in March, here are a few tips on working from home.
- Get up and treat the day like you’re going to be around people.
- Make your home office as much of a work office as you can, with a desk and file cabinets, in a separate room if possible.
- If you use a second screen at work, set one up at home. It’s a game-changer.
- Wash your hands, stay indoors and stay safe!
Resources to help keep you updated:
- Extended news coverage regarding the coronavirus in the Seattle area by the Seattle Times.
- Information about COVID-19 in the U.S. from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP)
- Information about COVID-19 around the globe from the World Health Organization.
- Global cases tracked by Johns Hopkins CSSE.
Additional Flowroute employees who volunteered to work from home:
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