Work From Home - The Unwanted Usual

1. Wake up

2. Dread about having to work from home

3. Work from home

4. Go to sleep exhausted

It has been 48–days since all the places of social gathering were closed down. Every organization, every corporation, every company has moved to a digital platform. It creates a peculiar situation for all employees.

Why is Working-from-home weird for employees?

Italians believe in living with pleasure; they find delight in all that they do. On the contrary, Indians follow the concept of America when it comes to productivity. The work culture has become such that people drench themselves in work during the weekdays working 12+ hours in their workplaces to enjoy the weekends wholeheartedly chilling.

Home, on the contrary, is a place to rest, for us. Less than 10% of the workforce worked from home before COVID-19 crisis because Indians still believe in “not bringing their work home.” People wanted to forget the workplace stress, a pile of unfinished work and deadlines, when at home. Thus, this sudden paradigm shift is becoming a weird thing for Indian employees. Apart from a certain percentage of millennial who liked flexible timings, most employees do not like this trend. As Navank Srivastava (an IIT-JEE Physics faculty at Motion-IIT) points out that professions like teaching are about creating a connect and influence. Teachers are not able to develop a classroom-like environment to explain concepts in the best way on digital platforms.

What has changed?

Stats show by the age of 35; most people feel miserable about going to work. But, these employees have been robbed of a purpose - to get up and ready, look presentable, meet people, have unforced conversations and come back to rest at home.

As Ojas Mangalvedhkar (a student interning at Microsoft) mentions - remote working has taken away the thrill of informal interactions at work, there are no random match-ups where a conversation is sparked over just a cup of coffee. Although introverts would disagree, office chitchat is essential art. It helps in building connections with minimum efforts.

There have been numerous posts on Instagram on how people are missing the canteen and coffee breaks. The reason being a 30-minute break and a walk refreshed the mind and helped us concentrate better. Now, a break from work means a list of household chores, and yes, they are exhausting and repetitive.

How to work better from home?

1. Form a To-Do list – There has been nothing more effective in fighting procrastination than a To-Do list. Each day, before you begin straining your eyes at the laptop; quickly form a list of tasks that are at hand along with their deadline. At home, with no concept of running out from the office by finishing work early, we all have been taking 5-hours to do a 3-hours work, thus extending our time in front of the laptop. Another reason is there is no one to look over your head, and the worse things can get are on a call or video-conferencing. The lack of physical presence of a person who can check on us changes a lot. An ideal scenario might be to form two to-do lists, one for household activities and another one for work. Also, a to-do list on paper is more satisfying than a digital one.

2. Utilize meeting time – All of us love Duo calling our peeps but hate the WebEx meetings. Contrary to what YouTube videos show us, most organizations stick to audio sessions because of better connectivity. In meetings where your part is finished within 5 minutes perhaps, instead of scrolling Instagram for the rest 55 minutes, try finishing up with a pending task.

3. Follow a healthy sleep cycle – How underrated this habit is among the working class today! I know we all prefer to be night owls, but the sense of achievement of having accomplished something till 10 am is unparalleled. Wake up early and spend some time to rediscover yourself. Read a book, exercise, meditate, or maybe finish up with household chores beforehand to have a little less disturbance while working. Couples with kids should inculcate this habit in their children as well by involving them in activities like painting and gardening.

4. Do not stare at the screen – It is hard that we are locked inside the four walls with smartphones, data and OTT platforms with unlimited content, but we have to draw a line. Shaila Azmi, a software engineer shares how she has fought the temptation to use Instagram by using app blocker during work hours to stick to her To-Do list without distraction. Also, once finished with the work, spend time with people around you, your flatmate, your parents because they may/may not be working from home and would love an interaction. Staring at the screen after work doesn’t relieve you of the stress and you dread and feel exhausted, sitting in front of laptop again for work.

5. Make a separate space to work – A home is a place where comfort is at its peak. But to improve productivity and get things done, creating a work-space or maybe just a corner in your room is essential. Keep the corner minimalist with all the essentials and electronics you need for work. That way, you will work more efficiently to get out from the corner to sit comfortably in front of your TV/on your bed.

Having said all this, it is very important to tweak all the above mentioned points as per your will and comfort, as long as you are able to stay disciplined and productive.

Stay at home. Stay safe.