Work from home: More cons than pros

While personally I found more positives than negatives in working from home, I realise that the sudden shift to full-time online work may have affected others differently. As I was curious to know what others felt, the only way to do so was to ask my fellow development practitioners in Desperately Seeking Development Experts (DSDE), a Facebook group that was created to bring development practitioners together. It gives them a platform where they can reach out and receive any support they need related to the development sector. So, when I asked the group members—"What are your thoughts about working from home?"—there were, interestingly, more cons than pros. I received more than 30 responses in one night, and a majority of them were negative. Let me first highlight the negatives.

CONS:

Work-life balance disrupted

Most respondents complained about having no work-life balance. Having to multitask at home, the burden was double and even triple for working mothers. With the children and the elderly homebound 24/7, they had to take care of them along with daily household chores. As most homes are not equipped with sufficient domestic appliances, people found it hard to juggle between cooking, cleaning, washing and then working longer hours. Women in general had issues with the constant attention demanded by toddlers at home, while parents of school-going children tried balancing to help out with online classes and homework. It was even harder for single mothers, as they had to take care of not only home management but also home schooling and work deadlines.

While this scenario is slowly changing as many men have opted to "help out" and diligently shared the household work, a lot remains to be done to change the mind-set that household work is not women's responsibility alone—it is everyone's! Hopefully, the new normal caused by Covid-19 has created greater awareness of the amount of work to be done on a given day at home, which can't be sidelined as inferior in any way.

Etiquette 101

The Covid-19 crisis has caught many of us off guard. Not being used to full-time online work and associated norms, many people accidentally turn on the camera with their "sando genji" (sleeveless shirt) on, not knowing that others in an online meeting can see them! Or, someone just starts talking without "unmuting" their microphone. While most do not dress up and show their faces, less efforts are required for "looking presentable" in these meetings. One respondent was happy to be able to attend meetings in his PJs and someone joked about accidentally standing up in a meeting wearing a decent shirt and a tie—with shorts! Rules of social etiquette in online meetings would have to be learnt by all as we go forward.

Too much screen time

It is true that due to the crisis, many offices were working round the clock during the emergency period. Especially in the development sector, where NGOs and civil society organisations were working on the ground, they had no timetable at all. Other organisations also had to go through restructuring, re-planning and re-budgeting exercises. No one saw this coming, so everything was a mess initially. As such, working hours shot up, meaning more meetings, e-mails and phone calls. Our social media scrolling continued, regardless of the gender, as we wanted to stay updated on not only coronavirus-related developments, but also socio-cultural activities that took place. Some musicians sang live on Facebook, while others including celebrities and social media influencers came there to raise awareness of different issues. All this meant that people were exposed to too much screen time. 

Less productive

There were mixed signals about productivity. While some respondents said their meetings were more productive and time was better utilised, others thought online meetings were less productive. Some said work-from-home was great for team spirit but most didn't agree. Some said online meetings are not a solution for face-to-face interactions.

Stress and sleepless nights

Needless to say, the lockdown and the resulting new normal have brought in uncertainties that none of us were ready to cope with. Hence, all the stressful days and sleepless nights. Another reason for stress is too much family time; we are not used to spending so much time with our spouses, parents and children. Add this to the pressure of full-time cooking, cleaning and no access to outside food. Dhaka's urban dwellers, living in apartments, did feel trapped and bored and frustrated with no solution in sight. Many are emotionally distressed with reports of death coming from all directions and thus in dire need of psychological therapy.

PROS:

Flexible working hours

While most respondents complained about the situations mentioned above, almost all agreed that the flexible working hours have given them immense freedom. Employees would have to continue to work from home for several months, keeping social distancing intact, while some would have no option but to start the field work (as the disadvantaged and vulnerable communities continue to suffer with no employment and no income). However, the idea of conventional workplace may have changed forever, as employers may now opt for smaller office spaces, with less rent and utility bills. However, it is important for employers to give their employees a "choice" for working from home and introduce effective digital tools to get result-based outcome from employees and not base their performance on time spent in office hours.

Big save on commuting

Hours spent in unproductive traffic are gone. This not only saves valuable time, but also thousands of taka saved in fuel. It remains a fascinating topic of study to understand the reduction on carbon footprint ever since the crisis began. A smarter way forward could be to start a zoning system for office-goers in the post-Covid-19 scenario, meaning that Dhanmondi residents, for example, would work from home for two days a week, reducing the traffic load on streets. Perhaps these are the days that children can go to school, balancing the traffic on the road. Parents then will not have to juggle between going to work and picking children up; they could just go and pick them up during a lunch break while working from home.

Kids saw their parents more than ever before

All parents have agreed that their children have never spent this much time with them. These times, if spent well, may turn out to be valuable for the children's lives. Going forward, there need to be ways to spend more quality time with children.

To conclude, the Covid-19 crisis, if nothing else, has probably taught us to be humble. Working from home is a privilege that most citizens cannot afford. Those of us who can have materialistic "wants" created to constantly keep our minds occupied, to be part of a race and to feel relevant. However, when our loved ones are falling ill or dying, no amount of money can help. The pandemic, if nothing else, has helped us to open the doors of self-reflection. While we adjust to this new life, we should look within and reflect on our life, our actions and their consequences. But for now, a few materialistic investments may make life easier. Investing in household appliances (like a washing machine), a decent workstation (equipped with a chair with proper lower back support, sufficient lighting and fast wi-fi connection) and, last but not the least, investing in mental health may be helpful. If all fails, we need to remember to breathe!

Tasmiah T Rahman is the Head of Strategy and Business Development, Skills Development Programme, BRAC. Views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect that of her organisation.