Work from Home: The New Norm, but will it last?

When COVID-19 struck the world, no one would have expected Work From Home (WFH) to be the ‘New Normal”. But here we are. 

The flexible work schedule has benefited not just the employers, but also the employers. WFH is a scenario playing across the world as the number of coronavirus cases swells and the measures of social distancing practices are becoming even more stringent. While the physical world in on hold, the digital realm is busier than ever. If we think about it, this can even facilitate digital transformations out of sheer necessity.

That’s a good thing. The notion of physical presence or daily employee attendance in the office has been viewed as obsolete since a few years now. Studies after studies have revealed that remote working is much more productive and satisfactory for the employees. In other words, employee underperformance is not a problem and employees are happier. I don’t even have to talk about the time saved due to the absence of daily commute to the workplace. 

However, everything has its pros and cons. Lack of social interaction can result in unproductivity, depending on how one views the situation. In addition, a worker might not feel connected to its workplace and his/her coworkers. The same study mentioned above have demonstrated that the level of remote working happiness drops if one is forced to work from home by a boss. Thus, having a choice in this matter is vital for WFH success. 

So, how prepared is the world to handle this new normal?

Well for WFH to truly work, an evolved technology is a crucial aspect. Unfortunately, the developing countries are not prepared for this. Added to this are the connectivity issues faced by millions of people. The only prediction that might result true is that in future employers will be more flexible about the working hours, given that many employees have adapted their capabilities to enable this.

Source: Economic Times