Working from Home

Over the years, working from home had a lot to do with what corporates and organizations called Work Life Balance – it was a sign that the company allowed it employees to be productive but equally to have a balance with their lives and working habits. For as far as I remember – this benefit was a huge point of attraction to talent and helped companies to jump to higher rankings in the Fortune 500 companies according to statistics done.

So many different names were given to the “Work from Home “Idea, such as telecommuting, tele working, mobile work, remote work, and flexible workplace. They all meant the same thing: employees do not commute or travel (e.g. by bus or car, etc.) to their office buildings rather they are managed by objectives and they can be home based or even work from coffee shops or working cafes etc…

Until December 2019 and January 2020 – the term took a different meaning and it meant you are locked down at your home “your home nowhere else “due to the outbreak of COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus.

COVID-19 changed the perception of remote working from a benefit to a complete isolation and at times self- quarantine, that is an experience that can cause you a lot of stress when you know it’s a must and you have no time frame for it – it can last as long as it takes.

The only positive side of work from home in the COVID-19 days is that you keep your job and you keep yourself productive and busy.

Working from home also has some comics and interesting facts. Some of those are:

• The work from home clothes – are usually a combo of work tops and pajama pants.

• Background noise is usually kids screaming or calling you or your dog barking if not all combined.

• Waking up 5 mins before your first meeting – everyone knows you just literally opened your eyes and yes, they often see your eyes puffiness too 😊

• The virtual backgrounds for the video calls are just too creative. You can be in Cairo with a background of the San Francisco Bridge.

• Forgetting to put yourself on mute – this it self can be very funny or embarrassing. Sometimes people take their phones with them to the toilet and you can hear the sound of the flush .

• When you work from home people in the same house with you think it’s a vacation – they come and talk to you in the middle of conference calls.

• You eat a lot more when you work from home – so you gain weight and you move less.

Now – with the COVID 19 crisis and WHO declaring that Coronavirus is pandemic, we do not know for how long we will be working from home.

I really look forward for the days where “working from home “was a choice not a must and I hope this happens very soon and the whole world makes it through this very tough experience.

#Working_From_Home

#Stay_Safe_Home

By: Mona Radwan