It’s been a little over 3 years since we all stared death in the face, the insecurity of life was occurring all around us. The normality of living came to a screeching halt when we were all forced to live indoors for 2-3 months. For many of us it was something completely new. Most of us were working in a “in office” work environment for the better part of our lives, so looking around at our environment from home every day was not something we were entirely used too. I always wondered what my dog would do when I was away for 8 hours a day, sometimes I would find the garbage can on the floor with food spilt on the nice ceramic tiles, I guess all dogs do that. The hardest part of going back to the office was seeing your dog’s face and acknowledging the hurt they were going to feel since you were not going to be there. Kids are also deeply affected by the presence of that parent that works far too many hours in the office, seeing their parents in the morning would bring so much joy to their faces. Knowing mom and dad were going to be home was almost revolutionary. Unheard of. Now we are back, I don’t think it is spoken of enough the significant change that kind of shift in life can bring forward for many individuals.
Productivity is a word employers like to throw around when it comes to being in an office setting, but when you are in the office there are moments that are very quiet, people call it downtime. Is it possible, that when there is downtime, you can still be productive? Of course, you can, start with the dishes in the sink, or how about the pile of clothing you have been putting off toward the weekend. Take your pick, there is always something to do at home that will make your weekend smoother. That was one of the disparities I had with returning to work in an office environment where you did have down time, almost all the time. Having this downtime meant that you would sit there reading a news article, or something irrelevant to your actual job just to pass the “downtime”.
Waking up in your own space is healthy, if you have bad habits like leaving your clothing on the floor or your jacket on the couch you can see your bad habits the longer you spend time in these environments. I personally lived much like a bachelor before Covid, I used to throw my socks toward the corner basket, if I missed it would stay on the floor until it was time to do laundry. Working from home makes you entirely more aware of your environment, especially since you must be there all day.
Working from home is necessary especially if you have a parent or someone who is sick in your family who needs care. In April of 2020 I lost my uncle due to Covid, it was a devastating blow to the family, and it solidified what was important and what was not. Many of us were holding on to jobs that were paying low enough to make it worth quitting others were working jobs they hated. Those who were working jobs they hated brushed up their resumes and took the opportunity to start over.
Positions are now available online to apply for almost any job working from home. One of my favorite searches are “remote” or “hybrid” when seeking new employment. This is the new normal, Covid has proved to many employers that employees are able to be just as efficient off site than being in an office. Working from home has also created some boss attitude for many people who decided not to rely on a job during the pandemic. People decided they no longer wanted to work for someone, people took it upon themselves to begin a home businesses like gyms, food businesses, and cleaning services.
I personally was working from home during the first 3 months when Covid was at an all-time high, people were beginning to quarantine, and I was shacked up with Astrid in our apartment in Elmhurst. Covid also did give us the ability to get more connected with our partners. It was truly a blessing being able to work together side by side, we would take our breaks together and cook a meal together, eat together, all the things you want to do with your partner throughout the day, but are unable to because you have an hour limit to get your food and eat it. This instantly lifts your mood; you can get more done throughout the day.
Covid proved to employers they did not have to necessarily confine employees into a building to gain productivity from them. Personally, I think the conversation of being fatigue in the day-to-day commute to get from point A-Z consumes you. I personally think there are positions in which it is unnecessary to be in office, or if there are multiple people sharing the same title, rotations for working from home would boost morale between everyone that works from home.
