CoVid-19 pandemic has marked a complete cultural shift in the ways businesses are conducted. Even in those business critical overtures, where facetime with stakeholders mattered the most.
Six months into the new set up and I have already started feeling the fatigue dawning on me of being homebound. My days start earlier and end later than before. While I keep trying to improve my productivity, the little Pomodoro techniques that I have lately started adopting helps me get over the fatigue and brings my zest back. Being in an industry that required me to be present physically with my team and clients, working from home always remained a desire, albeit, not knowing what lies on the other side of the fence.
As I comfortably settle into my new routine, satisfactorily carving out time for all things that I wished to do, I do occasionally miss the informal chat sessions with colleagues, a walk along the hallways to grab a cup of coffee, team events and many more interactions that makes me feel a part of the organization and re-enforces a sense of belongingness. But my worries are less pronounced and I feel less insecure realising that it’s not just me who is out of sight, but the entire company is working in the same remote set up as me. I have embraced this transformative change and contemplate on how the new normal of the work culture would look like.
So, is this a welcoming change?
How many times have you been into a situation where you feel the need to walk over to your colleague to get an instant answer. Or receiving a text from your manager just to find out where you are and whether you are available. Perhaps this was one of the biggest reasons why companies have been averse to adopting a remote working culture. The need to see the team members physically, in office, at their desk gave the managers a sense of control over the team.
Work-from-home, although, started as a short term arrangement for business continuity during the pandemic, it is seeming to become a new normal of the work culture. Work-from-home arrangements were first embraced by companies which had to work across multiple geographies, time zones and hence encouraged telecommuting and remote collaboration. Tech companies were in the forefront of embracing this culture, naturally, as these companies were technologically better equipped to build a conducive remote working culture.
Many other companies were not just infrastructurally but also culturally un-equipped, to support its workforce working from home. Managers demanded more face time with their teams and likewise, clients needed an extra shower of love by having personal meetings to feel reassured. Justifying the need to go to the office everyday proved to be a myth to a large extent. With Covid giving us no choice, we have finally broken this mould and have now seen what can be achieved with a more flexible work approach.
Transitioning to the new normal did have growing pains but it is a question of embracing vs accepting.
The work-from-home setup is easier and allows for flexible working hours and family management. Many companies have already announced plans to shift to a complete remote working culture until the end of 2020 and a few, indefinitely. Numerous research have been conducted on remote working and its impact on employee productivity. Telecommuting has overall proven to be beneficial for employees when measured on parameters such as job satisfaction, work-life-balance, autonomy and dealing with petty office politics etc.The enormous amount of time saved on commuting, has allowed people to be more flexible with their work schedules. And with managers imparting a certain level of trust, it gives the team a sense of ownership and also makes them more accountable to their work. The other benefits that has accrued for several people is the time saved in dreadful long commutes, thus giving time to many to pursue new skills, hobbies or simply invest more time in exercise which was previously not possible.
How about its impact on mental health?
As lines have blurred between work and personal time many employees are finding it hard to detach from work completely beyond official work hours. I recently bumped into a discontented neighbor of mine who complained about seeming working 24x7. A research by Microsoft, in Partnership with HBR revealed that workdays were lengthening and people were ‘on’ for more hours a week, on average. Social distancing is also impacting mental health negatively to a certain extent. Humans are social creatures and physical as well as emotional attachments are as essential as good food and clean air for a healthy living. A 2017 United Nations report found that 41% of remote workers reported high stress levels, compared to just 25% of office workers. It's just a matter of time when social mingling will open up but until then we have to hang in there.
Pre Covid, wfh was viewed as a choice but, post covid, wfo will be viewed as a choice and I think that will be the most vivid cultural shift that we will see happening around the world.
So post Covid, is this going to be the new way forward?
In all likelihood, yes and no. I strongly believe that striking a balance between hours spent at the office and home will be key. Allowing the employees to choose the time spent in the office and working from home will be a win-win arrangement for both the parties.(Nearly 70% of millennials would be more likely to choose an employer who offered remote working according to one study.) Employees can choose the days they want to work from home and employers will be compelled to provide them with this arrangement. And this mind-shift, I believe will be the most discernible change post-covid era will bring.
For now, I am practicing my green thumb at growing herbs hydroponically at home.
.. and hey, wait! I just spotted a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbill perched on a tree right outside my window!
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