WORK FROM HOME FOR EMPLOYEES
W
orking from
home is like having fat
free mayonnaise. You consume the mayonnaise, without gaining much weight. But it might not bring
with it the awesome taste, unless a few ingredients are added.
When I say “without gaining weight” I mean first & foremost,
avoiding a soul crushing commute to the workplace. Be it
Bangalore, Delhi or Mumbai, commuting is slowly becoming so
frustrating, that it ends up taking a toll on us each morning. We
reach office ready to crib about what we have just endured rather
than being ready to take on the day’s tasks. As opposed to this,
work from home not only helps avoid the commute, but also provides the freedom to live anywhere. If need be, it also gives you
the flexibility to follow a fiancé or a spouse to another city away
from the company headquarters.
Speaking of the less tasteful experience of mayonnaise, insecurity of what will happen professionally at the end of the month
during appraisal might test your patience. Work from home may
also lead to lesser control over the kind of work you get.
But Fat Free Mayo can be made epic with two added ingredients:
People you trust and a culture that embraces good management
of remote workers. Ultimately, one needs a strong culture and
not chairs to manage work.
From the organization’s perspective, access to the best talent
anywhere is possible by introducing the concept of work from
home. They do not have to fish in a pond within the radius of
the office. There is increased access to unexpected knowledge
capital outside of the formal organizational structure. This is an
effective way to retain the best of Gen Y talent. Expenditure is
also avoided by way of using a smaller office space.
This article has an assumption. It does not cover organizations &
jobs where work from home is unsuitable.
Cary Prewitt feels that it is hard to stay single-task- or goal-focused
in the office when working on solo material & a lot of best mate14 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org
rial
comes
out when working
remotely without the distractions
of office.
So here’s the question: Keep Calm & Work from Home- possible?
Say you decide to work from home. You get the time to spend
with your family, meet friends for lunch, join a gym, and most
importantly structure your routine in a way that really suits you.
Instead of a Start Time, Workworkwork, and an End Time that
spans 9-10 hours, you’re able to move away & focus your mind
when required. You actually get time to add value to yourself.
What is it that would really hold you back from living this dream?
Or what is it that would trouble you once this decision is taken?
Below are common uncertainties & solutions to eliminate them.
You follow your own routine during the day & at night you’re
up trying to make up for some lost time. It becomes tough to
motivate yourself day after day, regardless of how the company
is doing and very easy to ‘fall asleep at the wheel’ if the supervisor
isn’t expected to pop into your cabin anytime. You start missing
the fear that he would instil in you at the time of meeting deadlines.
Solution: Seeing that employees could get distracted & not finish
work leading to lack of momentum, they can’t just be given an
assignment and let go. Yammer, an online communication tool
helps these employees feel like they are a part & not give them
the feeling of working from an island.