WORK FROM HOME / ANYWHERE DURING LOCKDOWN 2 AND THEREAFTER

[DEV KUMAR KOTHARI]

COVID19 has taught us many things:

Covid19 and resultant lockdown has taught us many things. One important learning is use of ITES for doing many work in team. Example, is work done by our honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his team.  We can learn from his efforts in holding various online meetings, conferences, including address to nation,  online meetings with other ministers, Chief Ministers and also international meets like  G20 meet and  SAARC meet after lockdown. This shows that we can efficiently use ITES for doing many work in a team manner where teammates are sitting across the globe at different and far away located places.

Habit of work from home/ anywhere  is important:

COVID19 and resultant lockdowns have emphasised need to work from home rather work from anywhere that is whereever you are.

With increased information technology enabled services (ITES) and with fortunate aspect that we are getting infrastructure for ITES like telephony and internet services it is possible that we can work from home or anywhere we can work with telephones, mobile phones, different type of computers etc.

Now In India lockdown has been extended till 3^rd May 2020. Therefore we have to remain where we are (mostly at homes). Therefore, we need to tighten our belts to work from home as much as possible.

Work from home will be tailor made:

Work from home (or anywhere) will depend on nature of work, and facilities available. This will defer from person to person and type of work. However, in this article an attempt is made to list out some of office work that can be carried out from home or anywhere with help of ITES.  

Work that can be done with help of ITES:

 What can be done with help of available ITES infrastructure will depend on:

1.  ITES infrastructure facilities available like clarity of voice in phones, internet speed and quality ,
2. ITES equipment available with yourself, your team and other concerned,
3.  Type of work which can be done independently, or in association with team members and third parties who are accessible with relevant records and information.
4. Information and data which can be collected, downloaded, processed and worked upon.
5. Type of work to be done. Some work cannot be done from home like work which is required to be carried in factory, process house, outsourced work etc.

Illustrative list of work:

1. Ascertaining pending work and making out a list with analysis about workability at home / anywhere,
2. Collection of relevant information.
3. Preparing a flow chart for working and assigning work to yourself and others.
4. Downloading relevant documents as far as possible for example:

1. Bank statements for FY 2019-20 (or earlier years if pending) and current months for considering post year end transactions ,having relevance for accounting in FY 2019-20.
2.   Depository statements for FY 2019-20 and current months for considering post year end transactions having relevance for accounting in FY 2019-20.
3. Ledger and other statements for online businesses, like online share brokers, online purchases, online sales, online forward transactions, online commodity trades.
4. Statements of credit cards.
5. Statements, reports, communications, notices etc. from websites of Income tax and GST departments , MCA, municipalities, and other concerned departments,  review them and take necessary actions.
6. If online accounting package is available, many work can be done by accountants and auditors for review and preparation for finalisation of accounts.

1. Physical work and documentations:
   There can be several type of physical work and physical documentations for example:

1. Review of files and making them up to date or to take steps in this regard,
2. Preparation for dematerialisation of securities which are held in physical form and which can now be dematerialised.
3. Writing letters, notices, confirmations etc. and making them ready for sending as and when possible. Meanwhile relevant documents can be sent to parties in soft or scanned form for their review and confirmation by emails( can be signed and scanned also) and then by physical documentation if so required.
    

1. Work during relaxation from lockdown:
   If you and your team get some relaxations from lockdown from 20^th April,20 you can take necessary step for :

1. preparing data base, collecting necessary files and records from offices and other places ,make copies of same for working with other team members. These can then be used for more work from home/ anywhere.
2. Preparing for connectivity of computers of team members, if not already available and connected.
3. Updating of computer hardware, software and connectivity etc.

1. Work for future requirements:
   Purchases: ascertain stocks of raw material, consumables, packing material, bought out items for trading etc. and float enquiries for immediate supplies and staggered supplies.
    
   Manpower: Collect data base for availability of manpower – from own workforce but living at other places due to displacement and from manpower supply agencies.
    
2. Work for future sales:
   Ascertain stocks, orders pending for execution and surplus stock.
    
   Plan for production for deliveries to customers.
    
   Send offers or invitation for offers for selling products.
    

1. Fund planning:
    
   For fund planning, discussions can be made with concerned parties from whom payments are to be received and payments are to be made.
   Discussions and documentations with bankers, and other money lenders can be made for obtaining loans and disbursement.
    
2. Consultations:
   Consultations with your professional and technical consultants can be made through phones and emails for updating information, conveying problems and getting solutions etc.
    
3. For professionals like CA, CS, CMA and advocates:

Besides general work as discussed earlier, professionals can do many thing more because their knowledge and  skills will determine scope of work from home or from anywhere for example:-

Update your knowledge by reviewing text books on subjects in which you practice and other related subjects.

Update/ study other matters for taking new assignments.

Send queries / requisitions to your clients for collection of information for preparation of matters for compliances, pending cases.

Send queries / requisitions to your clients for collection of information for preparation of appeals, petitions etc.

Revise and update various formats for communication, collection of information, providing information, draft documents, draft reports etc with update of legal and practical aspects.

Readers are requested to send their feedback for improvement and exploring experience for work form anywhere.