More companies such as Novartis and Twitter are extending their “home office” policies beyond the coronavirus pandemic. This raises a host of questions about the future of workplaces, work culture and work-life balance.
We’d be interested to hear your experience and some of the ways workplaces are changing.
From the article Pandemic triggers debate over home office rules, compensation
At first I confess that I needed to adapt, exercising my concentration and discipline at home office for some time, until the situation stabilized. Today, I am super adapted, I love working from home, I have more time for me, I am more productive and I feel smarter in my choices, I no longer waste time in traffic or in lengthy meetings that we had in the company. Talking, meeting, discussing, documenting, taking action digitally is much easier, faster and more effective. It works. At home everything is much more productive, no comparison. I hope it continues like this!
No começo confesso que precisei me adaptar, exercitando minha concentração e disciplina no home office po algum tempo, até estabilizar a situação. Hoje, estou super adaptada, adoro trabalhar em casa, tenho mais tempo para mim, sou mais produtiva e me sinto mais inteligente nas minhas escolhas, não perco mais tempo no trânsito ou em reuniões demoradas que tínhamos na empresa. Conversar, se reunir, debater, documentar, tomar atitudes de forma digital é muito mais fácil, rápido e eficaz. Funciona. Em casa tudo rende muito mais, sem comparação. Espero que continue assim!!
I worked for over 20 years from home, with my own business and helping other businesses with their accounting and tax work. I enjoyed the flexibility of integrating the other components of my life into the work day. I enjoyed not having to face the commuting challenges.Negative aspects were social isolation, less of an ability to work with a team, getting advice, having brief social interaction to break up the monotony of work. Often I worked much too late at night because my work was only steps away from my private life. Sometimes, I felt it much harder to separate from my work concerns and switch off to "private" mode. I was perhaps more subject to distractions and procrastination of having plenty of other things to do around me. When my family members were around, it was harder to concentrate..In general, had I been able to commute to a location close by, I think I would have preferred the separation from my personal life and enjoyed more professional and social connection with others that working in an office provides.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Interesting to hear that you would have preferred to have the option to work outside the home in a location close by.
I work in an open plan support Center. Normally really noisy and stressful. Since Covid, most of my co-workers have home office, but not me. Why? For the first time in years, it's lovely and quiet in my office and I can actually get some work done, undisturbed by those with less to do, who have a lot of noisy breaks. At home I have TV, books, PC games, my garden and other distractions and know I would not be as productive. But, office workers can work from home. Companies can save a fortune on expensive offices. Old office space can be converted to housing - easing the housing crisis, maybe with cheaper rents. Workers can save time and money by not travelling so much, meaning more time with their families. Less traffic means less pollution. All it took was a virus to make people see this.
It's really interesting to hear your experience. It seems that this period of "home office" is revealing how and where people can be the most productive. Did you employer establish a new policy on working from home during the pandemic? Do you think it will apply beyond the coronavirus time? Thanks again for sharing.
The longer the experience lasts, the clearer the advantages and inconveniences. One aspect probably applies to many people. No more time spent on commuting but also absence of spontaneous contacts with colleagues. Can also be problematic to make family members understand that, although you are at home, you do not want to be disturbed too often while concentrating on your work. Ideally, you have an office where you can shut a door when necessary. Working on a laptop seated on a comfortable armchair sounds good until you get persistent neck and back pains. A desk and a height-adjustable office chair is better. Important to take a break outside regularly, else you eventually get the feeling that the roof would fall on your head. This sums up my 20 years in a home office. Because I worked for my own company, motivation had never been an issue.
Dear Kurt, Thanks for sharing your "home office" experience. It sounds like you've learned a lot about what works and doesn't when working from home. I'm curious what kind of advice you'd give employers who have said that workers can work from home. What do you think employers should do to ensure that their workers stay productive and healthy at home?
Jessica, hi. The specifics vary, depending on the type of job. As a general rule, the employer must ensure that the employee knows exactly what is expected and has the adequate type of equipment. For persons (like yourself?) who use a computer as a workhorse, a portable without a detachable screen is not ideal. The latter should be big enough to prevent fatigue and its center should be placed about at the height of your eyes. It can be motivating being able to do your job independently from strict office hours as long as you meet imposed deadlines. However, house rules must be clear about compulsory presence (being reachable) and normal work hours above which overtime compensation is due. Equally important is a policy as to reimbursable expenses. Some companies use a private cloud that facilitates communication, teamwork, as well as coaching / additional training when necessary. Finally, having a casual coffee break chat with colleagues over the internet helps morale.
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