Work from home, a new norm now

Working from home has been the new norm now for almost two years due to COVID-19.You would rather have the liberty to work from home more often rather than go to the office from 10:00 A.M to 4.00 P.M. Can working from home gradually become the new norm for life after covid-19? Work from home describes work being done remotely, instead of at an office. The acronym “WFH” (Work from Home) is used as a nickname for the concept. Many organizations transitioned their employees from the office to a work from home model during the Covid-19 global pandemic. With the assistance of information technology and internet facilities, workers are probably going to achieve various official duties or obligations while at home. Different organizations in the world are as of late presenting employees flexibility management systems that allow employees to arrange the timing of completing their official duties. Workers are allowed to oversee themselves and organize working hours whether at home or office. However, the outcome is to achieve the obligations assigned. Working from home affords you flexibility, but it also demands a lot from you in return. Although working from home is the modern approach, many Organizations still make it a point to work regularly in the office. Most organizations also offer a balance between the two options. For instance, working from home thrice a week and going to the office twice a week is a good schedule for work. A Lot of Organizations have also reported an increase in productivity this way because the individual gets a lot of rest, sleep, and home-cooked food which gives them the ability to work efficiently with renewed vigor and energy. Working from home comes with a lot of pros and cons. Most of the pros include being truly independent, which is more than just getting to work in your pajamas. It also means you’ll learn to rely on self-motivation, self-discipline, focus, and concentration. Also, you can get more work done working from home long as you’re not sneaking off to watch Netflix. Also working from home will in a way shape into becoming a communications expert. When having a quick meeting in the conference room isn’t possible, you have to get up to speed on what communication tools are available, from texting, Skyping, emailing, zoom meetings, slack, etc. So basically out of necessity, you become very savvy in all of this. Although working at home comes with a lot of pros, there are still cons to consider; while a lot of people might think working from home means doing less, the opposite might be true for others. At the point when you don’t have that detachment of going to and from the workplace, your workday kind of blurs together into your home life, it’s like you’re always at work which could even lead to burnout. Also, most times you can feel out of the loop, and practices like having an impromptu brainstorming session over lunch with colleagues are hard to replicate that from home.
Most organizations continued with remote working post-Covid-19 while some are planning to transition back to the regular 10–4, so the big question now is should working from home be made a norm? If working from home is to be encouraged, some practices should be adapted to attain maximum productivity and some of them will be outlined below in no particular order. Be more communicative than usual, to boost mutual trust and friendship among co-workers. There are fewer opportunities for spontaneous team building when working remotely so it is important to be proactive in finding ways to engage your co-workers. Pick up the phone to congratulate someone after a job well done or the completion of a project instead of the usual instant messages. Be professional even if you don’t have a dedicated office, try to set up a workspace and make it off-limits to the rest of your household while you’re working. Get in the habit of sending a swift response whenever you get an assignment even if it is easy to carry out. It is also important to set a time each day/week for regular stand-ups with your boss and/or your colleagues, it will not only help you stay accountable, but it will also remind your colleagues/employer that you’re still an important part of the team. Then most importantly, always strive to be a better worker.
(The author is a teacher at Boys High School Brakpora Anantnag. Views are exclusively his own)
[email protected]