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<\/a>\u201cCorporate firms that need to ensure confidentiality of customer data and security of information are encouraging the use of VPN among its employees. As a full fledged digital agency, we find it easy to work as all our customer data is on the cloud and current technologies offer extremely high levels of data security. Hence we have not felt the need for VPN. For large corporates, it makes sense for them to use as they need to comply with safety guidelines,\u201d says Kiruba Shankar, social media entrepreneur on sudden rise of \u2018vpning\u2019 among office-speak lingo.<\/p>\nIn the last few weeks, \u201cvpning\u201d is much-heard, and so are the names of tech-support guys who have to provide VPN access. Suddenly, they have become the lifeline to engagement and productivity. Their numbers got resaved with the status-enhancing prefix ICE \u2013 In Case of Emergency.<\/p>\n
\u2018Client crisis\u2019 gets new meaning<\/h2>\n
\u201cClient Crisis\u201d is a regular terminology, and companies are now reporting that due to the paralysis afflicting businesses on account of the COVID-19 situation, it is now assuming a more painful connotation.<\/p>\n
Sorav Jain, CEO of echoVME, a digital marketing company, explains, \u201cNow, in our company WhatsApp group, when one of the client managers keys in \u2018client crisis\u2019, everyone else will be all attention, focussed on finding out more, as \u2018client crisis\u2019 now signals more than just a regular process-oriented problem, easily solvable. It now means a client dropping out, as they don\u2019t have the cash flow to continue an exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Forecussed\u2019, now in focus<\/h2>\n
Work-from-home is now being happening in exceptional circumstances, in terms of scale and setting. The entire family is parked at home, and that is a recipe for confusion, nay chaos. During a video chat with a work associate via an application parked on a computer, it is extremely possible that one will be treated to a pageant of domestic scenes in the background.<\/p>\n
\u201cA study room is a luxury for a vast majority of the people. A CEO may have one where he can set up his home office and operate remotely. In contrast, an employee living in a single-bedroom flat, with their family may find it a challenge to keeping domestic scenes out of the screen, while being on a video-call with the line manager. The boundaries can easily get blurred,\u201d says Ganesh Chella, a CEO coach.<\/p>\n
So, these times call for being \u201cforecussed\u201d, which is about connecting with the colleague in the foreground, and filtering out what goes on in the background. People will have to get accustomed to the idea that there will be bawling in the background, or other disturbances, says Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy, co-founder and CEO, Sattva Consulting. \u201cThere is a two-year-old daughter at our home, and I understand this situation only too well,\u201d adds Srikrishna.<\/p>\n
\u2018COVID-19\u2019 enters time sheet<\/h2>\n
Companies with a remote-working policy extend the option to an employee only for a set number days in a month. An employee can\u2019t log in more days than what is specified for them. Now, with remote-working being the only option in many companies, especially those in the IT sector, the days outside regular remote-working days are said to have been accounted for by a reference to the current situation.<\/p>\n
So, the extended OOO (Out of office) entries in employee time-sheets are said to have honourable mentions such as \u201cCoronavirus\u201d, \u201cCOVID-19\u201d or \u201cLockdown\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u2018WFH squared\u2019<\/h2>\n
With household help being ruled out due to the necessity of maintaining social distancing, remote-working professionals juggle two WFHs \u2014 \u201cWork From Home\u201d and \u201cWork For Home\u201d. \u201cNow, grating the coconut and the next instant, proceeding to take a business call is the norm,\u201d says Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy. So, \u2018WFH squared\u2019 it is.<\/p>\n