3 Great things about working from home
By Leanne Parker
Let’s face it, when the government announced that we would be going into lockdown here in South-Africa, most of us panicked. And when the lockdown came into effect most of us probably experienced a bit of a culture shock as we embarked on a work-from-home operating model. Although the lockdown has been eased of late and is currently at Level 3, those of us still working from home still may have started to experience some of the benefits of their new office space, and if you haven’t done so yet, take the time to reflect on the following three benefits of working from home.
Less time spent driving
Consider the extra half an hour (or more) that you can spend doing home chores, or the fact that your family can now have breakfast together. These are not necessarily the effects of lockdown but the benefit of not having to tackle grid-locked highways every morning and every night. Travelling to and from the office is now a short walk at worst. What we also need to consider is the huge reduction in carbon emissions as fewer people are using their cars every day. Your home office is great for the environment from this point of view.
We are communicating more effectively
With many of our meetings having moved to online platforms, you may have noticed that they have also become a lot shorter. This is because people tend to be more on time for online engagements and feel less inclined to ramble and fill the time with unnecessary chatter. You will also note that more of our business communication is taking place over e-mail or on the likes of WhatsApp. Despite the fact that we are constantly being told that interpersonal relationships are suffering because of electronic communications, these e-mail communications have one important benefit for our business; they are trackable, reducing the literal he-said-she-said gaps in communication that can sometimes ankle tap us when we least expect it.
The coffee is better and your colleagues are cuddlier
You may have your laptop perched on a laundry basket and you may be using a stack of encyclopaedias as a chair (because you knew they would come in handy someday) but you are also surrounded by all the things that make you happy. And if you don’t like that spot, you can simply move. Relocate to the balcony when the weather is nice, or the kitchen, living room, and so on … The possibilities are endless. And with only your family and your pets around (assuming you are complying with the lockdown rules), you have the added benefit of controlling the temperature and avoiding office politics altogether.