The pandemic has changed the way we do work everywhere in the world – or at least work done from home. Office jobs moved to home offices, customer service was done from couches, and even things like lecturing and one-on-one lessons were done through video calls. Not to mention the rise of Zoom meetings. But will this state of affairs last?
Work from home during the pandemic
Since the pandemic forced so many people into home offices, two clear trends for workers have emerged. For some workers, this has been a blessing in disguise. Many reported less stress and better work-life balance and their employers likewise saw a rise in productivity. For a lot of people, the home office was a much-needed change that brought them more freedom and comfort.
But the second trend was pretty much the opposite.
A lot of employees saw the mandatory home office as a curse that made them more stressed, brought with it longer working hours, and has eroded their relationships with their loved ones. What's more, employers saw declining or barely stable levels of productivity. After so many lockdowns and experiences, it seems clear that the home office model isn't for everyone.
Some people love the freedom it provides while others prefer its office's structured space. Digital nomads might know this well since some of them love working from home, but others still seek out coworking spaces to have an outside space for work. It also became clear that companies that embraced the home office and tried to figure out how to implement it sensibly into their workflow saw better results than those that tried to behave like business as usual or even tightened monitoring of employees.
Was working from home a passing fad?
It is unlikely we will go back to pre-pandemic numbers of home offices for all the complications it brought. The number of employees for whom working from home is a preferable and productive way of working is large enough that a smart company will employ measures to allow its workers to do so.
What's more, implementing something of this scale without the pandemic would be difficult, but since nationwide lockdowns all but forced office jobs to work from home, the trial period of this type of work could happen naturally. And now companies and employees have better ideas and strategies for dealing with problems that may arise as a result.
But what seems to be emerging more is a new type of working rather than just working from home - hybrid working.
This is essentially about sometimes working from home and sometimes working from the office. With this type of work, many companies saw a rapid rise in productivity as well as the happiness of employees. Plus, it gives the option for employees to choose their home office days or whether or not they even want to work from home, lessening stress and loss of productivity for those who prefer traditional offices. All in all, some form of working from home is definitely here to stay.
