WORK FROM HOME: A NEW NORMAL
“To be able to work at home successfully takes all of the following: Motivation, perseverance, work, good habits, no excuses, balance, accountability, and action“– Byron Pulsifer.
Work from home is a concept where employees can do their job from home. Working from home gives flexible working hours to the employee as well as the job for the employer can be done with ease. Working from home is helpful in delivering work-life balance to the company to get the work done. Nowadays, most employers are offering this option to their employees. Many companies and the IT sector have implemented this strategy to continue their work, maintaining social distancing. Technologies such as mobile phones, and personal computers have made working from home an easy task for the employee. Working from home is a lot more comfortable for a lot of people. Employees can save a great deal of time and money since they do not have to travel so often, which means people will have more time for work and for themselves, too. Less traveling will also help reduce traffic jams and pollutants to our environment.
CORONAVIRUS
More than ten months have passed since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic. Hundreds of millions of people have been through lockdowns. Many have made the abrupt shift to working from home; millions have lost their jobs. Due to the ongoing unprecedented corona pandemic across the world, most companies have started implementing work-from-home policies to uphold safety measures. The pandemic is not going anywhere for at least some time, so give the ‘work from home’ option a shot. Doing all this is great for your safety and your family as well. Staying productive at home during the pandemic will give you comfort and will yield productive results as well. India’s coronavirus lockdown experience with work from home should be considered a building block for a new kind of urbanization- where urban development and businesses can be dispersed and need not be concentrated. Cellphones, broadband internet, and renewable energy can help us plan for decentralized urban growth without moving big numbers to the big cities. Working from home is a key ingredient in spreading out urbanization dividends. Work-from-home jobs are attractive and feasible to do for many kinds of occupations. Making the switch to teaching from home can mean quickly learning how to manage online chat, make video calls, do virtual homework, and remote work. The coronavirus pandemic has hit women worldwide with job losses and closures of childcare centers. Yet a surprising bright spot is emerging. India’s $200 billion technology services industry, where new rules are expected to provide the female worker with a broad swath of flexible work arrangements and fresh employment opportunities. A company thrives on a shared goal, ideas, and work culture. These are highly motivating factors for an employee. Large companies invest a lot of time and effort in creating a work culture that brings out the best in employees. This cannot be creating a work culture that brings out the best in employees.
CHALLENGES
The human brain has a very tendency to get distracted when employees work from their places, they have people and things happening around them. This causes a distraction and a lesser focus on work normally. This may lead to lesser productivity than in conventional work selling and can even lead to termination. The mixing of professional and personal lives has made things clumsy. There are other challenges too in the world of the internet. It is tough to control security and privacy on the internet using a public network which increases the risk of potential data breaches. Apps like Zoom, Webex, etc help all employees stay connected to co-workers but there is a risk since users don’t always install security updates and patches. Loneliness is the most common problem while collaboration, time zone, and staying motivated are all issues that affect remote workers and the companies they work for.
FUTURE OF WORK FROM HOME
A new survey has shed light on the future of the work-from-home model that is currently being implemented in the majority of organizations. Employees are enjoying their newfound freedom with flexible working hours, saving in commute time, and better work-life balance. They are increasingly reluctant to go back to the old ways of working. On the other hand, employers see this as an opportunity to move away from expensive rentals and save transportation, electricity costs, and facilities management. It is high time to ensure equal opportunities for women, youth, and other marginalized communities who were previously unable to participate equally in the paid economy. India needs to establish an ecosystem better equipped to prepare the workforce for changing skill and educational requirements.
CONCLUSION
Working from home should be encouraged because the advantages overcome the disadvantages. The office has no longer been the only workplace since many people are considering working from home. In my perspective, working at home is an unavoidable plan for the future.
