As the coronavirus spreads, canceled events and a stock market crash aren’t the only things impacting businesses. Untold numbers of workers around the world are adjusting to staying home and offices are scrambling to find ways to quickly adapt to remote operations.
Twitter told all 5,000 of its employees to work from home. Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a memo encouraging office workers not to go in, and the company put in efforts to limit “human density” at stores. The city of Seattle canceled meetings and told its 12,000-plus employees to follow the city’s new Alternative Work Arrangements COVID-19 Guidelines.
The major advertising holding companies have issued travel restrictions and remote work policies. At least two—Denstu and Omnicom—closed some offices after employees either contracted the coronavirus or showed initial symptoms. Those kinds of safety measures are trickling down to countless agencies, as ad pros find themselves piecing together home offices and recalibrating routines.
If you aren’t used to working from home, it can seem like a vacation at first. The opportunity to skip the stressful commute and lay on the couch with a laptop on your chest is glorious indeed. Remote work can be isolating and full of distractions, too. To help make working from home more effective and enjoyable, Adweek put together a handy guide for newbies with the help of a few experts (including the author, who works from home every day).