It has been more than a week now, but sitting down to craft this piece is the first time I have really given this a thought. Given the present global crisis, the economy and work are being disrupted at massive levels. So, how exactly are content writers like me and employees of other domains keeping the workflow alive?
I have been working as a content writer for about 4 years now. What began as a planned choice of career has now transformed into a passion that I look forward to developing more through the future years. Having said that, my career and work to date had been confined to the seamlessly set up office perimeters designed to meet all technical and ambient needs of work. However, with the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the globe have taken to self-quarantining themselves. Governments have issued lockdowns across nations with offices shut down and the common masses being requested to stay indoors.
So, am I enjoying an indefinite lazy stay at home? Well, though it does sound like an amazing idea to me for a while, all play and no work can undoubtedly turn you into a dull individual. Moreover, with the prevailing air of uncertainty around the normalization of life, some businesses have successfully adapted to alternate ways of working, more specifically, working remotely. So, my colleagues and I to have been trying to mold ourselves into this new remote work culture for the past one week, and I must say it has been a pleasant and positive experience so far. The recent lockdown, although unfortunate, is a very new experience not just for content writers, but employees from all domains. But I must say, in the past week, I have grown quite fond of the system.
As a Virtual Content Writer, my scope of work includes studying facts related to assigned topics, cultivating ideas and crafting flawless quality content for clients. We amplify the efforts of our clients not just by creating content, but through the market, audience, topic, and competitor research, content repurposing, and content promotion.
To sum it up, as content writers, my teammates and I do not require any high-end software or continual technical backup (that does work in our favor at times) to execute our tasks. Thus, adapting to the remote work system did not come across as much of a hassle. Thanks to technology and the digital world, we have been able to arrange an office like set up at home. On the other hand, while it requires completion of all tasks and meeting the client’s requirement within stipulated deadlines, it allows me to do so within the comforts of my home, and spend quality time with my family. Oh! Did I forget? I also find ample time to indulge in my newfound love for animated movies (all thanks to the brilliant makers of the How to Train your Dragon and Hotel Transylvania franchise) too!
Apart from the blessing of being able to stay safe in this time of crisis, the remote working system has helped a lot of us get a deeper insight into things we were unaware of earlier. For instance, speaking of teamwork, I feel we are becoming much closer as a team. This immediate need of having to coordinate flawlessly while being separated by distance has definitely helped my fellow content writers and me to come together and work as a stronger team. It has helped each one of us acknowledge the importance of the other in a very organic manner. On the contrary, it has also helped me become more responsible for my work. Each one of us has a role to play in making this remote working system a success. Thus, not being supervised every minute has led me to realize the importance of sharing responsibility alongside my team leads.
Speaking of the kind of work that I have been doing of late, the prevalent pandemic occupies a considerable part of it. Several of our company’s clients have been sending us tasks requiring a great deal of research on COVID-19. In due process, I have managed to acquire a substantial amount of knowledge on the causes and the effects of a pandemic on a global scale. Businesses across nations have dealt with a massive blow in terms of their financial stature. With people being requested to stay indoors to contain the spreading of the virus most businesses are finding it extremely difficult to stay afloat. Through my research, I was also deeply disturbed by the rising death counts in several nations across the world. Well, to be honest, coping with this information has been one of the most difficult aspects of my work so far. Although, in case you are wondering if I am bored with creating content revolving around the same topic for the past few days, that is not the case. Thanks to the nature of my work, we get the opportunity to create a wide range of content which includes social media posts, blogs, e-books, etc., there is hardly a place for monotony. I can practically juggle with tasks of various kinds in a day, not just helping me explore, but create an awesome variety of content at the same time. Surprisingly, I've come across many clients who created their ebook drafts some time ago and want them to be edited and published now. I am enjoying reading their ideas and content while working the same!
Having stated the good facts, there is definitely another side to the coin. Working remotely, or to be specific, from home, comes with a few drawbacks of its own. Disruptive internet connectivity is one such instance. Though my internet provider has not given me too many opportunities to complain in the past, the last few weeks have been different. There have been frequent interruptions in the connectivity, sometimes delaying my submission of work (which I guess is due to the overload of internet traffic due to lockdown). One other aspect is common distractions like the sound of the overly loud TV from our neighbors, or my mother, given her uncontrollable motherly affection, coming in to offer me a plethora of food items to eat. Not that I get very annoyed, but it does tend to interrupt my flow of thought at times while working. Sometimes, I get distracted long enough to take a 30-minute break before I can begin writing again.
On a personal level, my family has been quite happy with my presence at home. Usually, the only time we get to bond is over the weekends (if you don’t count the 5 hours I used to be awake at home pre-lockdown). Fortunately, or unfortunately, staying indoors has definitely helped all of us save some additional time, given that we don’t have to travel anymore. Given the fixed time schedule on usual office days, I missed out on a lot of things I loved, like my love for cooking. With the remote working system, I don’t just get to cater to my work, but my hobbies as well.
It’s a tense situation outside. Both employers and employees are trying their best to adapt to new ways of serving their consumers and prevent the work of flow from being disrupted. My team and I, along with our entire organization are trying to make the most of the technological benefits available at hand to ensure uninterrupted service for our clients.
The world is coming together to combat COVID-19, and so are we!
