Quarantined in Ecuador: How Working Remotely is Keeping Me Alive

I’ve been backpacking in Central and South America for the past few months. When the Coronavirus situation first caused some countries to close their borders, I joked with my family about getting stuck outside the U.S. The situation was serious in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. long before it hit South America. 

Because I was so far removed from the situation, it was difficult to get a sense of how severe things were getting. Suffice to say, I did not see it as a good enough reason to end my trip early. Things were still pretty normal in Ecuador—until mid-March, when Ecuador mandated a nationwide quarantine. Suddenly, businesses were closed, activities were suspended, in-country transport halted, and flights became restricted.

I had originally planned on heading back to the U.S. after a few weeks in Ecuador, which would have put me back home last weekend. Unfortunately, for the entire first week of the quarantine, there were exactly zero flights leaving Ecuador for anywhere in the U.S. This week, they have started to have one or two flights going to Miami each day, but they are extremely expensive and fill up quickly. 

Since I had budgeted for this trip to end in mid-March, I suddenly found myself in a predicament. I was not only stuck in the country of Ecuador, but in the exact city and residence where I had been when the quarantine was suddenly announced. As of that morning, no hostels or hotels were allowed to accept new guests. I was lucky that I happened to be staying in a safe and comfortable place (that’s pretty swanky, if I’m being honest) when the quarantine started. Unfortunately, this location was also twice as expensive as any of my other planned stays. It was supposed to be a treat to myself before the end of the trip, but this put me in quite a pickle financially. 

I had been working for Baobab Partners as a freelance marketing and content writer off and on for over a year before taking these few months off in order to fully take advantage of my travel experiences. I was planning to start up again with my return in March. For most people who take a few months off of work, going back to a normal work schedule would require being physically present in a specific place. 

Fortunately for my current situation, that is not the case. Acting as a remote freelancer gives me the unique ability to work normally from anywhere in the world. All I need is a wifi connection and we are good to go. For this reason, I am thankful this didn’t happen in January, when I was in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle with no electricity or running water (and only mediocre wifi—they really have got to work on that). 

Since my place of residence has a wifi connection (only a step above the Costa Rican jungle, really), I am able to support myself during this uncertain time by returning to my normal job. If Baobab Partners were not a remote worker friendly firm, I would not be able to pay for this residence or food while here, especially since it is for an indeterminate amount of time. There’s no way I would be able to find work here; most of the country is shut down right now, so how could I possibly find a way to make money? Working remotely is quite literally keeping me alive at the moment. 

Being able to take my laptop out to my hammock by the river and work while peacefully swinging away—that’s just a perk. ☺

Samantha is a North Carolina-based remote freelance writer and editor for Baobab Partners.

5 Tips for Employees Working from Home

In the current climate of COVID-19, working from home instead of the office is more than just a job perk; it’s an important way to be responsible and limit the spread of the virus. But how do you stay on track and minimize disruptions to your productivity and schedule while working from home? 

Here are 5 tips on how to work from home effectively: 

1. Prepare for work as you would if you were going into the office.

Tempting as it may be to stay in your pyjamas and enjoy that extra hour in bed (or even work from your bed), getting up and dressed and making sure you are eating a good breakfast will ensure that you are in the right frame of mind to have a productive work day. Keeping a routine is important for your mental health.

2. Create a proper workspace.

Having a proper workspace can make a significant difference in both productivity and professionalism. If you don’t have a home office, find a space that is quiet and has minimal distractions. If you have to make a call, ensure that you are somewhere with minimal background noise. For video calls, try to sit somewhere where there is nothing distracting in the background. If this is not possible, select a calling service that allows you to blur your background. If you share your living space, let the others know when you have calls in order to avoid awkward interruptions. If you can, this should be the same space each time. There’s a reason experts have been telling us to keep TVs out of our bedrooms for years—the same advice applies to anything with a screen.

3. Don’t take advantage of little or no supervision.

Working from home means you will likely not have an immediate supervisor in close proximity to monitor your workflow.  Although you will have calls with colleagues and supervisors, it is important to complete your work in a professional and timely manner, even with little or no supervision. Your employer is placing great trust in you when you work from home. Taking advantage of this by allowing your work to suffer by taking frequent breaks or doing anything that is not normally permitted at the office should be avoided. Abusing this privilege can create resentment among coworkers. The person most responsible for you is you.

4. Uphold a strict schedule.

Having a set schedule can enhance productivity and help your day flow even under normal circumstances. It’s even more important in times of uncertainty. 

Make sure you schedule breaks throughout the day. Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your allocated breaks. It’s beneficial to take this time to stretch your legs and unwind for a bit. Try doing a short home workout or playing with your pets. The benefit—and sometimes detriment—of working from home is that you have many novelties at your fingertips. Take advantage of these only during your breaks. 

5. Maintain continuous communication.

It is extremely important that you maintain communication with your colleagues, superiors, and clients in order to inform them of any changes or progress in your work. Be sure to schedule internal and client-facing standard meetings for your team’s projects. Log everything in your company CRM and avoid handwritten notes. This is imperative to help your team stay up-to-date on progress and who is working on each task. A team chat feature such as Slack or Salesforce Chatter is another great way to maintain team communications. 

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We know that times are uncertain, and even frightening, for many of us. We don't know how long this is going to last, or if we're still going to have our jobs by the end of it. There are few sources of leadership that project reliability and competence. 

We're going to get through this, but we're going to have to be responsible for ourselves. This is why it's more important than ever to have a plan for yourself and stick to (or develop) good habits. 

Baobab Partners has been a primarily remote firm since day 1, and we have extensive experience setting up systems that empower companies to work effectively without being in an office. If you're struggling with questions of process or technology, or just how to handle the transition to an all-virtual workforce, please reach out to me directly at 919-724-9260. I'm happy to give 30 minutes of time at no cost to anyone who might need help with these things.

Baobab Partners is a Salesforce.com certified consulting and development partner based in New York City. We are a team of competent, diverse, dynamic, and qualified professionals with experience across various business areas, including software and product development, design, testing, system maintenance, project management, and staffing options. We develop scalable and simplified solutions based on your organizational goals.