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Writer's pictureSusan NeCastro

3 Ways The Concept of Working from Home Is Forever Changed.....

What a difference a week, a month, a quarter or even a year make......These are times that completely reshape our thinking and our approach to many things personally and professionally. Offices, conference rooms and break rooms are empty. Never before have we seen such sweeping changes at work, the way we live and the way we interact with others. There truly is a new "normal" and as they say, "the genie is out of the bottle".

[Photo credit: Wix stock photos]

If you aren't working from home right now, chances are you know someone who is because millions of Americans have made the switch from office worker to home based employee. Prior to the pandemic that has forced this cultural work shift, there were many that were working from home but many more who would have liked the option. However, many may not have fully been supported by the organization they work for based on resistance related to collaborative needs while working , a job description that supposedly would not allow for such distance work or quite simply a boss or company culture that was reluctant to allow the practice. Fast forward to the last 7 days and here are some of the ways that this thought process may never again seem valid:

  • 1) It Can Be Done- Where there's a will (or a need) there's a way! As an employee at your company you may have heard in the past we don't have the right technology or we can't let certain positions work from home for this reason or that. This week has proven that if it wasn't part of your culture to allow telecommuting maybe its time to take a second look. A lot of people want the option to manage work life balance and many companies have made adjustments to make it happen to continue to be able to function by challenging themselves to put the necessary telecommuting parameters in place during this time of social distancing. I think it has often been seen as a "perk" to work from home when really it is simply a different way to approach managing work and time.

  • 2) It IS a Viable and Even Desirable Way for Many to Work - Having worked from home AND having reported in to an office over my career there are many benefits and pitfalls to both scenarios. However, I have found that working from home can be free from distractions, equally if not more productive than working in a traditional office setting, provide freedom from the shackles of commuting in to an office ( over an hour each way) and has provided a very high degree of job satisfaction creating better work/life balance. Many of those workers that have never done it may find it's not for them but for many they are just now seeing some of these benefits that they may otherwise never have realized.

  • 3) Empowerment & Precedent- With so many companies and professionals working from home right now its provides a precedent for companies to provide this option in the future for its employees and empowers them to ask for it. It doesn't have to be 5 days a week but why not 2 days a week or 3? Certainly there truly are some jobs that cannot be done remotely. No one can build a skyscraper from your kitchen table or home office. However, we now know there are many jobs that can be done remotely if supported and championed by company leadership whether it be out of safety needs or creating work/life balance options for loyal employees.

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