Work from home? COVID-19, the global pandemic, has locked us all in our homes and rendered a massive percentage of the workers unable to commute to work to prevent the virus from spreading. In metropolitan cities like Delhi, this has resulted in both businesses and people seeking alternate work arrangements. As a result, most, if not all, people were forced to work from home due to the pandemic (WFH).
Just like everything, work from home has its pros and cons. We spoke to some women to know their stance on WFH and how they balance it with their household chores and multi-tasks. To make this more detailed, sharing their views on WFH:
“Work from home has given me time to focus on my well-being, but at the same time, I have had backache issues due to excessive screen time and lack of work-life balance.” -Silvy Kalra Communications Professional & Social Entrepreneur
“Work from home has been an asset for me as it gave me time to work on my extra things. Being in the office barely gave me time to work on myself. WFH has saved my traveling time, and now I can work in my comfort zone. I can utilize my break time for other things and spend more time with family and my fitness. Overall I have been productive working from home.” -Pooja Diwakar
“Working from home has been good for me as I got time for myself, but I had certain problems like not getting a workspace, which has led to back pain issues. Also, my office asked me to keep our camera on while working for security purposes which questions my privacy, and there’s no difference working from home or office.” -Aarti Employee at Concentrix
“Work from home has been perfect for me. I have been enjoying WFH as I can work in my comfort zone. I can manage my household work. I have got time to spend with my family. And not traveling every day in rotating shifts makes me feel safer at home. -Khushoo Diwakar Assistant Manager at Teleperformance
“Work from home has given me the liberty to work in my comfortable workspace and attire. Now I am not restricted to sitting at a desk and dressing every day. All our work is done on laptops so I can sit in my balcony and work. I have more time to spend with my family now and multi-task.” -Monika Sharma Employee at Accenture
“Working for a digital news website, the shifts are always crazy. It’s either early morning or late evening. I have a super understanding mother-in-law: With her around, I don’t have to worry about groceries and other things and also have house help. Though it gets tough at times as there is no time for fitness. “ -Chandandeep Kour Chief Copy Editor, Opoyi
Reading the responses we received from the women working from home, we can see Work From Home has been both a boon and a bane. For many people, working from home is far more convenient. Employees can save a significant amount of time and money by not having to travel as frequently, which means they will have more time for work and themselves. Traveling less will also assist in reducing traffic congestion and pollution in our environment. Also, working at home does not imply being inside all day; people can work in their garden or lawn, or wherever they feel most comfortable. Furthermore, employees are less stressed since they have control over when they work and when they rest. These factors will aid in delivering superior work performance.
There are certainly some disadvantages to working from home. For example, it has minimized physical interaction between coworkers. However, the Internet has solved that problem. For the time being, people worldwide can easily communicate and collaborate with one another over long distances. Likewise, while telecommuting, individuals may get diverted/upset because of their environmental factors depending on what surroundings they are functioning in. It will be difficult for them to think that workers need an ideal working space to meet the necessities and complete their everyday undertakings.
To conclude, working from home should be promoted because the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. However, nothing can compensate for human interaction.
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