Christian De Guzman lives 32 kilometers from his office in Makati. On a regular day, it takes him two hours and four different modes of transportation—tricycle, jeep, bus, and MRT—to get to his office; it’s another two hours going home. When traffic jam is extremely horrendous, he spends five to six hours daily on the road.
“Those four hours could have been used to something more relaxing or productive. But no, I spend it commuting,” lamented De Guzman.
To make up for the time he spends on the road, he sometimes gets a few work done on his mobile gadgets, something that not every worker can easily do.
De Guzman is also one of the few lucky enough to be allowed to telecommute or work from home from time to time.
“Honestly, I get more work done when I’m at home. I have more time to finish tasks, and there’s less distractions,” he shared.
Working from home appears much more practical, especially considering the amount of time and money wasted due to traffic jam. According to the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the current traffic congestion is costing the Philippines P3.5 billion a day.
Meanwhile, architect and urban planner Felino A. Palafox, Jr. earlier said an average Metro Manila resident spends 1,000 hours on congested roads every year, or approximately 28,000 hours of his economic life.
With the stress brought by the exhausting morning rush and traffic in the country, working from home seems the easiest solution.
Although working from home may not be an option for everybody, those who are allowed should consider it because of the benefits such as not having to deal with long hours commuting and saving money on transportation costs.
Telco firm Eastern Communications shares a few tips how to set up a home office that is comfortable and promotes better productivity.
Have a dedicated workspace
Having a dedicated spot to get work done helps condition the mind that one is on “work mode” even when at home. It also makes the day more organized and reduces distractions, especially if it’s in a closed or separate room.
Some items to consider for the workspace: a work table with drawers or organizers for papers—think about creating a filing system, a portable printer, and an efficient laptop with the right programs installed. Other items and accessories depend on the worker using the home office.
Get adequate light and add greenery
Various studies said that adequate lighting increases people’s work productivity. Eastern Communications suggests taking adequate light into consideration in setting up a home office to avoid headaches or strained eyes due to poor lighting and long hours of staring at a computer screen.
Although some might consider their home as a happy place, working from home can be as equally stressful as working in an office. This is why it is also recommended to put a little green plant on the work desk for added focus and decoration.
Several studies have proven that having a plant on desk can reduce stress, improve indoor quality, and might also help a worker be productive throughout the day.
Choose a reliable Internet connection provider
Having a good Internet connection is a key factor when telecommuting. A poor connection—such as one that is slow or goes down unexpectedly—can easily hamper productivity and affect ability to respond to officemates and meet deadlines.
Eastern Communications offers an enhanced Internet solution for home offices which uses fiber optic technology that runs on redundant fiber optic links, making the connection more stable and reliable. This can help increase productivity of any home-based worker as it has speed of up to 100 Mbps with lower maintenance cost. Go to www.eastern.com.ph for more information.
