How to Combat the Effects of Loadshedding While Working from Home

Remote working has always been a joy for most South Africans because you get to work in your own space and it has been proven to be a cost saving alternative not only for employees but for companies as well. Due to the implementation of load shedding the cons of working from home have started to outweigh the pros, being without electricity for hours on end has caused frustrations to citizens and disruption to productivity. Despite our frustrations we have come to the realization that load shedding is a part of our reality and our daily lives. In a world that is driven by technology, power outages on a regular basis will cause a decline in productivity which makes getting work done a lot harder than it was before. Here are ways that will help you enhance your work experience during power outages and help you maintain productivity.

Plan ahead

To stay ahead of the power cuts download the EskomSePush app on your phone, this way you’ll know what time your power is expected to go out and for how long. Planning ahead allows you to structure your work schedule according to your power cut time slot, you can either decide to relocate when there isn't power at home and work from places that aren't experiencing load shedding at the given time such as the office or any chosen restaurant. Planning ahead also gives you a chance to charge your devices to ensure that you do not experience your batteries being low during load shedding resulting in a halt in work productivity.

Invest in a long battery life laptop

Investing in a long battery life laptop that packs a punch will help ensure that you get work done during power outages, your laptop needs to at least withstand 2.5 or more hours of load shedding. We have a variety of business laptops such as the HP Spectre and HP ENVY that pack a punch and have exceptional battery life that can last up to 8 hours.

Invest in a UPS (Uninterrupted power supply)

Despite being pricey, investing in a UPS in these trying times is a long term investment as it will sustain you in the long run when it is used according to its instructions. A UPS can be used to charge your devices including your laptop and Wi-Fi router during load shedding, it allows you to save all your work and to exit all apps safely. It is advisable that you get a lithium battery with a long lifespan that will be durable and won't require you to change it every 6 months; investing in a UPS will ensure that you remain productive with work during the day while experiencing power cuts

Backup your data

Losing hours of important work that you had completed due to load shedding is dreadful, therefore it’s important that you ensure you’re regularly saving your work as you go along that way your data is backed up and safe should your laptop switch off or should you experience connectivity issues.

Work ahead

It's very important that you work ahead if you know that you have urgent deadlines coming up, this way you're able to work with confidence, comfortably and peacefully knowing that your work is done and ready for your deadlines. This way you are in control and even if load shedding takes place you can take a break because you know that your work is done.

Load Shedding is a part of our lives now, and with the changes in stages we often find ourselves without electricity for up to four hours to four and a half hours which has a major effect on productivity. With that being said it is crucial that we prepare ourselves for the worst all the time, therefore it’s important that you plan ahead, make sure that your devices are always fully charged, ensure that your laptop has a long battery life that can last up to 8 hours and invest in good quality power banks and UPS that you can use to charge your devices.