Albanian 
Prishtina, March 23 2020 – Although working from home is a new way of organizing work for many economic sectors after the emergency public health situation in the country, this approach is manageable only for a short period, while its extension is estimated to negatively affect the country’s economy. This was concluded in a virtual forum organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, during which the effective organizing of work from home was discussed.
Arianit Fazliu from Kutia emphasized that despite the progress of the process of conversion from working from the office to working from home, there are various barriers, especially psychological, that can appear in an unusual work environment. He stated that the way the working from home is perceived is of particular importance, as he shared some valuable advice that also stems from his previous experience of this way of working. According to Fazliu, the supervision of the staff to ensure the maintenance of workflow and productivity is key in such situations.
Valon Canhasi from Hallakate stated that the company he runs is managing the work from home very well, since the very idea of this business has incorporated working remotely. However, minimizing market demand is raising concerns, according to Canhasi, as businesses could go bankrupt if the situation continues for more than two or three months. He added that unlike other countries, our government can do much more to help the private sector, while suggesting the Government of Kosovo to create an online platform to identify exactly which industry is suffering the most from the impact of COVID -19, in order to take concrete steps to improve this situation.
Blin Zeqiri from Art House stressed that despite the many technological opportunities for communication, the lack of work habits and efficiency in Kosovar society can present a challenge in itself for working remotely. Another barrier, according to Zeqiri, are the unknowns that come from this global epidemic, which can affect the risk of business life. He further added that the suspension of many business activities is negatively affecting the country’s economy, while the Government should take the example of best practices from countries that are already winning the fight against coronavirus so that business activity continues properly.