Work from Home: Wow to Weary!

02 Sep Work from Home: Wow to Weary!

In the pre-pandemic period, work from home (WFH) was an option available to most organizational workers as a privilege. People availed this option only on need basis. In March, when COVID took over the Earth, there came about a universal guideline to stay home and stay safe; and then emerged the changing nature of office work.

Much has been said about WFH benefits and challenges. Whilst the benefits were discussed at length, highlighting the monetary savings in terms of workspace, electricity and entailing spend, employees initially felt good to skip the morning rush and stay home and work. However, it has been increasingly tough to continue as a virtual employee because boundaries between personal and professional lives are visibly vanishing.

Home chores, the constant doorbell, noisy conversations by non-working family folks and above all the continuing work tasks even after office hours have rendered WFH a difficult proposition.

A lively and spontaneous conversation, in-person on a project turns into a mundane, studied, even contrived discussion on the virtual platform. A time has to be mutually agreed to and then the agenda set before a short dialogue happens. As one fatigued employee said: I feel claustrophobic with this long drawn remote working. I miss getting dressed for the day, I miss those team interactions, impromptu learning sessions, lunchtime camaraderie, stand up meetings; I even miss the bustling traffic on the road while I drive to work listening to music.

It is a misconception that working from home would be less stressful with the associated flexibility and freedom. Reliance on devices like smartphones and laptops do cause stress and muscle pain. In addition, social isolation and the anxiety associated with the pandemic can increase stress levels leading to insomnia and depression. When there is a small issue at work, handling it alone in the confines of home will magnify the seriousness of the issue. In the workplace amid colleagues and team mates the same matter would be considered eminently manageable.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), in an article last month, spoke about how US companies are beginning to feel remote working is not all that great after all. For this year of the pandemic, it is the best option to help people stay home and yet be productive to keep their organizations and their jobs alive. On the one hand, productivity has taken a beating, if not thrashing, and on the other workers feel they never shut down their work until it is time for bed.

In the long run, people would be happy going out to work and returning to the warmth of their homes to relax and engage in family time.

In his book Out of Office, speaker and photographer Simon Salt, lists practical challenges one has to face while working from home. Distractions like kids and pets can last through the day leaving little time to focus on work. As Simon quips, “Explaining that the ‘dog ate my work’ to your boss is not quite the same as it was when you were in grade school.” Lack of structure too can be a major work dampener as we tend to juggle small tasks between calls and conferences.

Again, as Salt says: The transition back to the in-office work style is not easy, nor is it usually straightforward. Just as the transition to the Out of Office work style needs careful thought and planning, so too does the transition in the opposite direction. Many organizations have commenced the prep work which includes social distancing norms and implementation of health and safety rules.

Offices can never go away – will remain for a long time to come and people will enjoy going to work with renewed spirit and positive energy. 

How has your WFH experience been? Do you have a different story to share? Go ahead and let me know!