WORK FROM HOME

             In the past decade or so, a concept kept coming up on the horizon - “Work From Home”. Various Management experts were seen extolling the benefits of such a system. But by and large Employers and Management did not show much interest in it. Maybe the thinking there was that employees shall do masti at home.

Come Corona, government directive was – offices to remain closed and salaries to be continued to be paid.

All banks, sales & marketing, education related and IT companies etc., had to per-force resort to Work From Home (WFH). IT companies had some experience in this field, and soon most organisations implemented it in a big way.

About five months of Lockdown has given all players (employers, employees, employee’s family) sufficient experience of WFH, and Pro & Cons have emerged from both sides.

I decided to find out from the people involved directly.

A nephew of mine Manoj is in Mumbai, was initially very happy. He thought that time spent in commuting to office could now be put to other uses, such as catching up on sleep which earlier he could do only on weekends, and shall also spend more time with family. There would be no exposure to road pollution, traffic problems and resultant tensions, and saving in expenditure incurred on fuel, vehicle wear & tear during commuting.

But very soon the down-side of WFH became evident. He was unable to arrange a secluded work corner in his 2 room flat. Most of his friends who had smaller flats were also complaining about shortage of space.

Another problem faced by all was furniture. Home furniture was not conducive to office working and soon everyone started having back problems. Some had to purchase an office type table and chair. Also good quality headphones (so that others are not disturbed), microphone, extension boards etc. All this for each member working from home; and for each school/college going child. The expenses involved are huge.

courtesy - Friday Magazine

Manoj said … “Boundaries of office hours have become blurred, as everyone feels free to call at any time. Earlier I used to leave work tensions at office and come home relaxed. But this option is no more and I am in tension all the time Working hours do not have a specific ending time, causing problems in personal  life which results in related tensions. Work has started to extend to longer hours.  The office has started giving so much work just because I am working from home. Time management of the day has gone for a toss. (The boss thinks that I am available all the time). This can create WFH burnout. An ‘End Time’ should be maintained, after which no phone calls.”

             

courtesy - TOI

Vishal another WFH employee had this to say … “Broadband, electricity and Air-conditioning expenses have increased. The office requires me to be online during work hours and power supply not being continuous, I had to invest in backup options. My company is not paying for all this with the plea that --you have saved on commuting expense”.

Naresh had this to add … “ Distracted work environment due to presence of family members and children. Door bell rings with house maid, kachra wala, subzi wala, courier man and sundry delivery boys keep coming.”

Madhuri, wife of Manoj had her own problems …”Domestic environment has become  dull, as me and children are  denied the pleasure of doing as we please- such as - loud talk, listening to music, dancing, loud talks on phones etc. A hospital like silence has become mandatory.

Sheetal wife of another WFH said … “ Denial of “ME TIME” to both of us is resulting in day to day skirmishes.  Marital bonding is seen to be gradually diminishing.” She was afraid that divorces may increase due to less “ME TIME”.

Kirti another WFH spouse said …”I miss my dashing and debonair hubby. He moves around now in crumpled t shirts and Bermuda’s, losing his enthusiasm for attractive dressing up. He remains disheveled all the time.  Continuously staying at home has made us feel isolated. Social & cultural etiquette which he learned and maintained at office is missing at home. This may be because of absence of socialising .”

 

courtesy - The Hindu

All the above interviewed persons were of the opinion that …The avenue to ventilate frustration with friends and colleagues is missing, leading to mounting stress. Networking at one-to-one level is less. Exchange of learning from colleagues & others has become nil.  Opportunity for amalgamation of ideas from colleagues and others are disappearing.  Face to face contact and discussion with colleagues & subordinates is not as fruitful on phone. Teamwork is a bit difficult while working from home.

 

courtesy - Fierce Electronics

 For Employer views I called up few Senior executive friends. They were of the opinion that initial hiccups of people on WFH shall be taken care of and vanish. Regarding the WFH concept they were very enthusiastic, saying that less office space is now required as only 20% have to be called to office; hence saving in office rental, furniture and maintenance. Huge saving on air-conditioning and electricity bills. Expenses on Tea/Coffee and subsidised food served to staff in canteen gets reduced, as well as lesser staff required in pantry and canteen. Consumption of office stationary also greatly reduced, hence saving on this head also.

Biggest achievement would be that they can now hire talented people, even if they live in another city, at reduced salary payout. Employees may now take lesser ‘sudden’ leave.

Some down-side points were also aired candidly by company executives, not willing to be named.  Face to face contact and discussion with subordinates is not very fruitful on phone.  Group discussion even on ‘meeting apps’ are not as fruitful as in a meeting room. Team members are reluctant to come out with new ideas on phone or group meeting apps.  Pleasure of firing subordinates on phone is not as satisfying as face to face. Innovation shall be hampered.

To sum up … Generation emerging from WFH shall be raw on Socialising, Networking, Learning from colleagues, attractive dressing up, Social & Cultural etiquette etc. Their personality development may result in such a way that they become self-centered. Economic growth of many WFH companies may also stagnate.

The WFH concept has been put into force the world over with all its advantages and disadvantages. Initial hiccups are there but may become streamlined in due course in most establishments