How to Work Remotely in Dubai? Protecting your Team & Business from Coronavirus

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In this article you will learn how to work remotely in Dubai, keeping employees safe and make profits for your business.

There is a new threat looming on the horizon for humanity. No one had foreseen the rise of such a terrorizing force that would cripple our daily lives.

Its very existence is striking fear in the hearts of billions these days who are unsure of what the future holds for them.

In a time when we’re already disconnected, this invisible demon is forcing us to distance ourselves from each other literally.

Why?

Because our very survival depends on it.

Who is it?

It’s none other than the infamous novel coronavirus, also known as COVID19 in the medical world.

The alarming thing about COVID19 is that despite the travel bans and closing borders, the pandemic continues to spread like fire globally.

COVID19 has rendered borders irrelevant and the Middle East is no exception. Iran is facing the full brunt of this sinister force. Thirty-eight new cases were reported in Qatar, 227 in Bahrain.

Due to the UAE government’s prompt actions and things are at the moment in control. But that doesn’t mean we should become complacent. Even if you don’t follow the news, you might have realized the anxiety and stressloss of life due to this epidemic is causing across the globe.

The situation is pretty grim and business leaders also have a huge responsibility to protect their teams against the contagion. We’ve crafted a guide on how to work remotely in Dubai to protect yourself and your team without losing productivity.

Vigorous Communication

Be it coronavirus or any other reason that you are working remotely; the key is to communicate clearly with your boss. Know and understand what is expected of you.

Since there is no face-to-face communication, there might be things that need clear communication. If you think that you cannot explain something, call and make your point.

Mostly, when employees are near their boss, it is often easy to speak less and communicate via verbal cues. But when working remotely in Dubai, is it quite impossible.

Even with well-formulated SOPs, remote work can feel a little unstructured and isolated. A study from last year found that loneliness is the second biggest concern when working from home.

So, when you communicate with your boss, it is better to make things clear regarding each task and ask even the silliest questions if they are bothering you.

It’s not freelance; it’s a real job

Just because you are working from your bed or your dining room doesn’t mean that you need to wear pajamas and work. Get up from bed, take a shower, and get dressed. Treat it like a real job.

Even if there is not a dedicated space in your home for work, just clear out a desk and start working on that desk.

A cyclist from Italy uses a stationary bike just to avoid leaving home.

Credit: Getty Images

So instead of lying in your bed all day, move away from distractions and do something that keeps your heart pumping. Use a chair similar to the one at your office, sit in the same position, and take breaks as you do at your workplace.

This will also help you to create a boundary between you and your family members. A dedicated workspace will make it easy for your family to understand your working hours, and they will not bother you.

At home, it’s easy to get distracted with the daily chores. But you need to ensure that you work with a clear mindset.

Even with no children around, don’t do laundry or do the household chores when you are working. Treat it as a real job.

Avoid feeling isolated

The coronavirus is pushing people to extreme working conditions and putting them in an awkward state.

According to Stanford University professor, who specializes in remote work, Nicholas Bloom, “There are two types of working from home: short-term, the occasional work, or the full-time permanent work from home.”This is the former one.

You are working remotely because you need to avoid the COVID19 contagion. To prevent yourself from feeling isolated. You can take help from online task management tools like TaskQue that will help you to finish off projects without any delay, and at the same time, you’ll be able to work as a team.

Moreover, experts say that communicating on video calls while working from home lowers the risk of feeling down and disconnected.

Prolonged isolation can impact your productivity and morale. It’s an excellent way to bond with people, weird, of course, but it’s fun too. It adds a little bit of happiness and lightness to the work environment.

To make things interesting, you can celebrate co-worker birthdays, praise them in a public Skype group, and make casual conversations just as you do at work.

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Keeping Your Spirits High

These are stressful times. Don’t watch the news. No need to worry about being sick or running out of toilet paper, deal with it later. Now is the time to communicate with your work colleagues.

For now, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced that work from home is mandatory. This is to ensure everyone’s safety and to stop people from overthinking about contracting the infection at workplaces.

You might get stuck in your home for a month or two. But for now, you just need to compartmentalize and prepare your mind to work in high spirits from your home.

Consider it as a blessing. Instead of face-to-face interactions, you are just making video calls (and avoiding the people you don’t like at work). You can quickly grab a coffee at home while you’re in a meeting.

For a manager, it is their job to provide moral support to their employees. It’s easy to get stressed and depressed these days. If you’re a manager, go out there and acknowledge the work of your employees. They are working under a lot of stress right now.

As a manager, your job is to be a cheerleader and support them. This will help in retaining employee productivity levels and their dedication to the company.

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Final Thoughts

At this moment, there is no cure developed for COVID19, so it is impossible to predict when you’ll be able to get back to your office.

Till then, you should have a decent stock of essentials and work remotely from your home. For now, working from home in Dubai is the only protection that we have from coronavirus.