INNOVATION
Working From Home: Is
This A Myth Or A Practical
Solution?
By Eugene Wanekeya
So, our good president recently made
a bold move by partially opening up
the country after over three months
of cessation of movement in and out of
among others, two of our main cities and
major economic hubs that is, Nairobi and
Mombasa, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This move was hailed from some quarters
and criticized from others, with the main
bone of contention being, should the
country prioritize its health or its wealth?
The honest truth is that I personally
would not want to be in a position where
I am making such a critical decision for
others because it is a perfect illustration of
the famous saying by Lorenzo Dow, “you
will be damned if you do, and you will be
damned if you don’t.”
It is one of those scenarios where there
is no right move because shutting
down Kenya’s economy will ultimately
negatively affect the citizens’ wellbeing
whereas, reopening the economy will
definitely result in the spread of Covid-19
therefore still negatively affecting the
citizens’ wellbeing.
Anyway, before I digress further, let me
get back on track with this piece. Kenya’s
corporate sector has been seriously
crippled by Covid-19, as the safety
guidelines that have been put in place to
curtail its spread means that organizations
cannot function normally.
Companies that already had a work from
home policy in place for their staff have
had a leg up over others because they have
continued their operations with minimal
disruptions, whereas those that prioritized
the physical presence of staff in their
offices have struggled, with a significant
number shutting down or laying off a
sizeable percentage of their personnel.
It is noteworthy that not all professions
can support remote working therefore
this piece is solely meant to be applicable
to organizational functions that do not
require employees’ physical presence in the
office as they can be able to deliver on their
job description from anywhere, provided
they have access to their company’s
systems from a secure environment.
In saying so, one of the biggest errors
that companies continue to make when
adopting work from home policies, is the
presumption that working from home
simply entails giving employees remote
access to company systems so that they
can flexibly perform their tasks from
The reality is that most employees are not
likely to be as productive when working
from home as they would have been when
working from the office environment, owing
to the many distractions at home - kids,
spouse, entertainment, and friends among
others, that they would typically not have
access to in the office.
any location such as the comfort of their
homes. Unfortunately, this is one of the
reasons why working from home ends up
turning into a myth.
The reality is that most employees are not
likely to be as productive when working
from home as they would have been when
working from the office environment,
owing to the many distractions at home
- kids, spouse, entertainment, and friends
among others, that they would typically
not have access to in the office.
Any company that seeks to ensure that its
employees remain productive even as they
work from remote locations such as their
homes, needs to consider a number of key
factors, most of which are the company’s
responsibility and not the employees as is
currently presumed. For any work from
home policy to move from being a myth
into being a practical business solution,
it will require a very significant level of
proactivity by a company.
A Good Remote Working
Policy
Please indulge me for a bit, as I briefly
delve into some key components of a good
work from home policy.
The first key component has to be the
working environment. Employers must
always remember that even though the
employee is working from home, it is still
company time. The onus is therefore on
the employer to ensure that their employee
has a conducive working environment free
from distractions to spur productivity.
Employers should proactively work with
their employees and help them set up a
proper remote working environment as
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