A historic turn
We will not forget the COVID-19 inflicted 2020. It has changed our lives, our lifestyles, our way of work and our realisation of things that we used to otherwise take for granted like our health, resources, money, jobs. It has helped us redefine what is a luxury v/s necessity.
The work from home phenomena
We have gone through a sea change in the way we have adapted to work by switching to ‘work from home’ (WFH) in a hurry and in many cases with barely work facilities at home in the form of work tables, chairs and network to support the transition. But everyone managed. And many companies said employee productivity was at par and in some cases even better with WFH. Commendable.
Great for employees/ entrepreneurs?
For employees this phase of WFH should have been the perfect setting to achieve the elusive work life balance, right?. But I gather it has gotten worse. Sounds ironical.
Take a moment
At this moment, give it a thought! How has the last 5 months of WFH, March to August 2020 been for you? Fulfilled in terms of your overall life? You think you can sustain it when you head back to office? Were you glued to the computer and phone all day and through weekends and ended up feeling more tired despite not travelling to work, more irritated despite being in the comfort of your home, not been able to give enough time to yourself and your family despite the time saved on commute and physical meetings?
The social animal has been through a lot in these months. I am sharing a few that ironically hurt our work life balance during WFH. I would like to hear about your experiences as well.
At home, but no stop button in sight:
Work continued without a defined end time. People were on calls or on online meetings long after the day was over. Because physically they were not moving out of the office. Their home just allowed continuity. And everyone assumed availability of the other, 247.
Convenience of gadget, but overused:
With discussions and decision moving online, the laptop and the phone were the only source of communication leading to increased time spent on these gadgets without the necessary precaution of breaks to rest the eyes, ears and the mind. Health took a back seat.
Kid/s @ home but how to manage: With schools being shut and outsiders not permitted inside homes (maids/cooks/ domestic help/ baby-sitters) for nearly 4 months, managing WFH as well as kids at home was a new KRA. Parents feel a pang of guilt about not spending quality time with their kids despite 247 access to them.
Choose work life wellness- While our time races forward, greeted with so many tasks thrown at us, that will only get more and more complex and varied, it is important to choose well, get a balance in our lives before it eats up health and relationships and eventually success at work, because an imbalance makes for an unproductive employee and an unhappy, unhealthy person too. An ironical circle.
WFH or WFO, the question to ask is, if you can be fulfilled & successful both at professional and personal sides of life, why settle for less? Get work life wellness into your lives. Now, if you can.
