One of the lasting effects of Covid-19 has been its impact on the way people work.
Remote working or work from home (WfH), which initially seemed problematic for many people, has now become the new normal. Some employees have been wondered aloud why no one had ever thought of it before!
According to the Owl labs State of remote work 2021 report, over 90% of employees say they worked productively outside the office environment.
However, working remotely cancels human interaction that comes with mingling in an office which is an important element for nourishing motivation. This becomes especially disadvantageous especially for young people who are starting out in their careers and need mentors to guide them along the way.
Being away from the office can also blunt your competitive edge. The workplace allows people to find their professional competence by sharing ideas with those in the same field.
After the early excitement of not having your boss looking over your shoulder wears off, many employees have admitted that WfH causes isolation, stress and depression. These health risks do not affect everybody. However due to the risks, many employees have resorted to using Rota system to spell out who works in the office on particular days and who stays at home.
That said, there are numerous positives that come with working at home. It can strengthen relationships. That detour to the bar at the end of the day is no longer applicable and sharing housework in a more equitable manner is also much easier because you can schedule your activities.
Other advantages include the fact that people always know where to find you. It is easier to create time for them because of the self-monitoring that comes with remote working. It avoids the stress that comes with daily commuting, that is associated with traffic jams, fuel expenses and travel bills.
However, teams must maintain contact with co-workers and cultivate a sense of belonging that an office offers through social media, emails and the like. It is this connectivity that can help us sustain productivity and combat any sense of isolation.
The team will stay intact only if members want to. This is something that should not be underestimated.
Celebrating success on team level, can be done during team progress meetings or whenever teams meet online.
It is not always about work. To stay connected in production, teams need to make it a point to share with each other what happens outside work. Trust and transparency can be created by ensuring teams update each other using their different communication platforms so that co-workers know where one is at all times.
