Lekan Otufodunrin
Apart from Lagos, Abuja and Ogun, different parts of the country are experiencing one form or lockdown or the other due to the Coronavirus pandemic that requires that movements and human interactions are limited to curb its spread.
The lockdown should have been declared earlier, but the authorities concerned were a bit worried about the impact on the people, especially those who rely on daily earnings and its other impact on the economy generally.
However, we now have no choice but to opt for the lockdown in whatever form to prevent further spike in the number of infected persons in the country.
Based on the experience of other countries with higher numbers of infected persons, it has been proved that unless we take this drastic decision we may have a big challenge on our hands and then we will not be talking about our individual or corporate economy, but the mass death that could follow.
Instead of complaining about the lockdown concerning how we have been demobilized and forced to cope with boredom, as some have said, the stay home directive is indeed an opportunity for everyone to maximize ahead of when the crisis will be over.
As I noted in a tweet, #WhenCoronaVirusIsOver You will have yourself to blame if you don’t: *Spend the restriction of movement time wisely. * Work on outstanding assignments * Learn new things, especially skills that will be in high demand in posts coronavirus time * Rest as much as you should.
In another one, I also stated that the lockdown is not a Knockout or Knockdown. It’s supposed to be an opportunity to Sit-down to prepare for the resetting the world is going through. So, the best thing to do is to make the best of the time you have.
If you have instructions from your office to work from home, do your best to ensure you do what you are assigned to do. Since you are expecting to be paid at the end of the month, even when you are not physically going to work, you have to help keep your organization or company running through the task you diligently perform online.
Let your family know you are not on holiday but will still be assessed at the end of the month based on how well you carried out the tasks assigned to you.
You need their cooperation and understanding to let you remain a diligent staff while the lockdown continues.
If you are not digitally savvy and able to use some of the online tools for working remotely, your attitude should not be to claim not to know or interested if you still want to keep your job.
Quickly find how to learn to use the tools for maintaining communication with the office and performing any task in your department.
Workplace will not be the same when Coronavirus is over. Employers will use the work done by their staff now and their mastery of digital tools to determine those who have what it takes to improve on their operations and save cost.
At personal levels, this is the time for an honest review of your career to be sure of how well you are doing and what else you need to do to become the kind of professional you should be.
Take time to look at your outstanding projects and assignments and give priority attention to the crucial ones so that at the end of the lockdown, you will have some accomplishments to point to.
When the crisis is over, lockdown will not be a good excuse for not making the required progress you need to make in your life. Many things are being disrupted now, but others are still on in whatever way they can.
Be on the lookout for essential services and products in high demand during this period and take advantage of it if you are in a position to do so.
Except the world ends with COVID-19, there will be life after and only those who are prepared for it will not have any regrets.
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