Working From Home - Before and After Covid
We discovered that we were not as invincible as we thought we were when Coronavirus (or Covid-19) silently, and speedily, made its way, like a bushfire, across the world, infecting hundreds of thousands and killing many more. In a bid to slow the infection and control the spread, the world went into lockdown.
We were instructed to social distance – staying at least 2 metres apart when out, those with underlying health problems advised to stay indoors, and in the space of a few weeks, the majority of us were told to stay home and only go out for very limited reasons like getting shopping, collecting medication or for one government approved exercise (such as a walk, run or cycle) per day and where possible to work from home. The world as we knew it stopped functioning; businesses, shops, pubs and restaurants, libraries and churches all shut up and locked their doors leaving only the necessary stores, like supermarkets, open for business.
Key workers such as health care employees, store staff and delivery drivers are the only people travelling into and from work which has become the norm now. Many other workers have set up workstations in their homes, using coffee tables, dining tables and kitchen worktops as their office space or have set up offices in spare rooms and sheds. News reporters, admin assistants, payroll staff, researchers, teachers and people across all manner of occupations are now home working and many offices are standing silent and empty. But what does this mean for the future?
We have a work culture that has been flipped on its head, pre coronavirus, many of us would wake in the morning, put our working clothes on and, grabbing a coffee for the journey, head out to start our day. Traditionally many office workers slogged away from 9-5 before packing up and heading home, repeating the same routine from Monday to Friday. This changed back in 2003 with the introduction of flexible working for certain people, those with children under 6 or parents of a disabled child under 18 could ask for flexible working from their employer with core hours that needed to be worked (usually between the hour of 11am and 3pm) and what is called “bandwidth” hours in which to work the rest of the working day where the employee could come in early or finish late depending on their needs. In April of 2014 flexitime work patterns were rolled out to most employees unless working shifts or where there was a need to cover certain hours of work and many employees reaped the benefits of such working patterns as it gave them greater control over their work/life balance. However, working from home was still a novel idea and largely unthought-of across many organisations.
Pre coronavirus, many employees had (and still have) skill, hobbies, qualifications and interests unrelated to their jobs which have now been called upon and utilised especially where working from home could cause problems (data protection, confidentiality, security) and employers are utilising these skills to help keep businesses running. Any skills, from social media, art, design, maths and writing are being called upon and employees are being re-deployed into other areas to help with workloads. Those employees who can continue with their normal line of work are now continuing with their everyday jobs but are working from home.
So, how will this change the face of working in the future? Workplaces have come to realise that the workforce they employ are adaptable and, with technology being the way it is, can now, more easily work in an environment that is outside of the traditional office space. I can see home working becoming more normal in the future, especially to control spread of viruses and infections, but also to allow those with children and other commitments to be able to partake in full time work from the comfort of their own home. The way technology has evolved has made attendance at meetings easier via Skype or Zoom, no longer will employees have to attend their place of work in order to take part. Many office software’s, such as Microsoft Teams, allow collaborative working, meaning users can have instant conversations via video link, instant messages or by sharing work screens remotely with other colleagues allowing staff to work anywhere and still seek help and advice from colleagues who would once share office spaces.
Working from home could make it easier for people who have mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression. Instead of struggling into work each day or having to take time off from work to recover, working from home could be a practical solution. Not only would this allow the employee to stay in work, the amount of days lost to sickness for businesses could be reduced to. This could also be a solution for workers who come down with minor illnesses such as seasonal colds. Allowing employees to work from home when ill could slow infection rates and take pressure off from feeling that they have to turn up for work when feeling under the weather.
Now that workers have shown just how adaptable they can be and that work can continue in any space I think that home working could be the shape of things to come in the future. Home working has so many positives that have become harder for employers to ignore the longer the lockdown continues.
Written by Suzi Tench
Suzi has a degree in Photographic Art, works as a Payments Officer, is a part-time blogger, loves colour and her dog Roxy.