Load shedding in the office can slow down productivity and if most of your work is done online and on computers, no power can leave your employees sitting for 2 hours with nothing to do. So, instead of just sitting around creating Tik Tok videos and wasting precious data, why not try out our 5 tips to make the most of load shedding at work?
Know your Load Shedding Schedule
Firstly, know when your office will be affected by load shedding so you can plan accordingly. Apps such as Eskom Se Push can provide you with the load shedding schedule in your area and send out notifications if the load shedding stage changes or if load shedding has started again. By knowing when you will have load shedding, you can plan productive activities to do during that time.
Have a Down Time Backup Plan
Nothing slows down productivity more than a power outage that causes an employee to lose all their work because they couldn’t save in time (Janet, our inhouse graphic designer, has experienced this first-hand). Invest in a USP system that gives some time for your employees to save their work and exit applications they were working on when load shedding hits. A cloud-based storage and backup solution like Dropbox or Microsoft’s OneDrive can be also be a lifesaver instead of having a server-based system.
Plan for Brainstorming Sessions
During a power outage, plan for a brainstorming session. Gather the team together and discuss some ideas for clients and how you can improve on the work you are doing for the clients. This could also be a great time for employees to discuss any ideas or thoughts they may have for the business (if you decide on a company rebrand, you know who to call).
Declutter the Office
No better time than a power outage to get stuck into the office clutter and throw out what you no longer need. Organise your filing, clean the shelves and cabinets and have your employees neaten out their desks. A declutter can help with developing creativity and deal with procrastination.
Office Games
To pass the time with something fun during load shedding, why not host the 2020 office Olympics or just keep it casual with games such as minute to win it and card or board games? What about investing in a Ping-Pong table or a dart board? You could also use this time to do some team building exercises to help strengthen your team and improve communication.
Also, remember to keep some hot water in a flask so the office doesn’t suffer from caffeine withdrawal during load shedding.
We all know that load shedding at work is a pain, and complaining about it just makes it worse, so we hope that these 5 tips can help you make the most of being in the office when load shedding hits.
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