When the covidー19 health crisis hit us earlier this year and the directive was to work from home, it was a big adjustment for many. The routine of going into an office was abruptly stopped and since then, companies have been adjusting to this “new normal”. Fortunately for me, I had been working from home since 2004. In my experience, working from home has many advantages for both the employee and employer.
For the employee, it is an opportunity to maximize the day. We are not required to commute one hour each way to work; we are also able to be efficient and focus on daily tasks without the disruption of random employee chats at the cubicle or endless birthday parties.
For the employer, it is a reduction of overhead not taking up a presence in an office. Likewise, it is the employee able to utilize her/his time more efficiently which translates into more productivity. Feeling “part of the team” is easily accomplished using today’s online tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Slack.
After we endure this crisis, it will be interesting to see how people adapted and how much our work culture has changed. I wonder if the experience will rethink the posture of both employer and employee as we start the new decade.