Article

Remote Working Stories #3 | The one with the self-isolation

Posted: 5th May 2020
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Pre-nationwide lockdown, Elizabeth had to self-isolate for two weeks. Luckily, her Hosted desktop kept her going and she could still work productively.
Before reading this story, please know everyone involved is now in full health and has made a full recovery. If you do have symptoms of Coronavirus, visit the NHS site for guidance. Do not go to your local GP or A&E if you believe you have symptoms.

A little about me

Hi. I’m Elizabeth and I’m part of Atlas Cloud’s Marketing team and have been for nearly three years. I’m a sushi fanatic and love to travel (mostly to the other side of the world) when I’m not spending all my money on online shopping.

My remote working story is about illness. In this particular case, it is the Coronavirus, but replace it with any other illness or ailment and all lessons can still be applied.

Self-isolation for the nation

It’s common for people to get sick – sometimes so sick they can’t come into work and have to take a “sick day”.

Around two weeks before the UK’s official lockdown measures took hold, I learned I’d been in contact with an individual who tested positive for Coronavirus. This meant I had to self-isolate for two weeks. Something that at any other company might mean having to take a period of sick leave.

I may sound slightly blasé about having to self-isolate for two weeks, but there is of course a reason behind my lackadaisical attitude.

A comfy marketer, is a productive marketer

A Hosted Desktop to keep me going

As a seasoned user of Hosted Desktops, the answer to self-isolation was simple: work from home. All the tools I need as a marketer, including documents, applications (including graphic-intensive design apps) and my emails were all available, as they have been for the past three years.

The only difference was that I was now using my MacBook instead of a dual screen with Windows OS. In all honestly, my first days in isolation were quite relaxing. No fighting for a space on the Metro, or wearing a big coat to deal with the cold. I simply made myself a cup of tea, booted up my laptop, logged in and voila. Up and running in seconds.

What I missed most was being in the office. Having others to speak to or bounce ideas off. But with the integration of Microsoft Teams I was able to be part of team meetings, have my 1-2-1s and communicate with the rest of the company without feeling like I wasn’t part of the team.

Psychologically, working from home can take its toll on you. It can be lonely and quite frustrating at times when you need an answer quickly, but it’s far better than the alternative…

Don't knock it 'til you try it

I’ve worked at Atlas Cloud for 3 years now and I have never understood the scepticism around the cloud.

Our mission has always been to enable businesses to work securely from anywhere. This mean that during global pandemics, your business can stay online with all employees working at full capacity and with a high-level of security. It seems strange that business leaders would reject the idea of moving to the cloud, especially since our recent survey revealed some users have no password protection on their devices: a basic security concern.

I know I sound very over-the-top dramatic about this situation – that isn’t my intention – but I can’t stress enough how much of a saving grace remote working has become in my life. I’ve found absolutely no restrictions with my work. I can work from wherever, whenever. All my tasks get completed because I have everything I need to do them.

Six weeks on from the initial isolation, security hasn’t become an issue. My entire desktop is accessible in the cloud that is guarded by enterprise-security. No business information gets stored on my personal laptop, so if I have any vulnerabilities on the local device, it has no effect on business security, since it runs using Citrix.

As long as I have Internet access and a working device, I can still work productively.

The moral of the story

Accept that not everything is a given. Natural disasters happen, pandemics happen and people get sick – that’s why we have insurance, and why you need a remote working policy. Had I have needed to self-isolate while working for another company, I may have only received sick pay, been put on furlough or even suffered a pay cut – a sad reality for a lot of folks in the UK. As it happens, I’ve been working happily and productively for what will be my seventh week from home and now it’s looking like my kettle will be my best friend for the foreseeable. But I’m OK with that, I have everything I need to stay online and engaged with my work.

If you think your organisation would benefit from a set up like mine, get in touch today and our friendly team will be on hand to help you… while they work from home.

Call us on 0191 250 5222 or click here to request a no-obligation quote.

About The Author

Elizabeth has written for the travel, marketing and now technology sectors in her professional career. She discovered a passion for writing blogs during her year-long apprenticeship in Digital Marketing and is now a CRM/Marketing Executive at Atlas Cloud.

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