The year 2020 has proven to be a particularly challenging year for most of the modern world. That is mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This disease has infected more than 34 million people as of the third quarter of 2020. From this number, more than a million have lost their lives. The response to this pandemic varies from country to country, but three general measures are standard: (1) Use of Protective gear, (2) Regular Sanitation and Disinfection, and (3) Social Distancing.
Social Distancing and Work from Home
Social distancing is by far the most effective measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Businesses have adopted this measure by allowing their employees who perform office-based tasks to work from the convenience of their homes. This way, work continues to be done while still maintaining more than ample separation from each other.
Thanks to the widespread availability of the Internet and online productivity and monitoring software, most of which are cloud-based and available by subscription, employees allowed to work from home continue to be productive and safe.
Work from Home and Meetings
One regular activity of businesses is the meeting. This interaction between office mates is essential for several objectives, including:
- Information dissemination and discussion
- Program/Project Cascades and Updates
- Workshops/Seminars
- Client discussions
- Sales Presentations
Because of the pandemic, face-to-face meetings are both discouraged and avoided as much as possible. Online chatting and voice calls are not as effective as face-to-face, especially for meetings that require interactivity and presentations. Fortunately, there are now several online videoconferencing and file-sharing platforms that allow virtual face-to-face meetings, discussions, presentations, seminars, workshops, and more. All participants can join at the press of a button.
Online Meetings and the Headset
One challenge of conducting or participating in an online meeting is the ability to properly hear what is being talked about amid the ambient noise of a work-from-home environment, especially for those who have kids at home and do not have enough space for a private office. It is easy to block the noise from your home so that the other participants do not get distracted by activating the MUTE button of the videoconferencing platform. Unfortunately, this function does not prevent you from hearing the noise.
It is also quite distracting for the members of your household to hear what is being discussed during an online meeting if you use your computer’s speakers to listen in to a meeting. You are the only one, after all, who is required to listen in.
To address this issue, you must use a headphone. You need to choose the right one for your needs (talk to a Jabra reseller to guide you). You can listen in clearly to a meeting without having to turn down the natural ambient noise in your household or asking the one speaking to repeat what he/she said.
Work from home is a reality in a COVID-19 environment. Businesses adapt to this reality by implementing a Work-from-Home policy. The wide availability of enablers (the Internet, online productivity, and monitoring software applications, online videoconferencing platforms, good quality headsets, etc.) allow this policy to work for businesses.