Remote Working: The new "normal"
We have done so well I must say in most of the practical
things we did for and to each other in order to protect ourselves and keep each
other alive. Most countries all over the world decided if even against their
wish for one reason or the other that it was better for citizens to stay locked
in their homes to stay protected. Whiles those who begun have had significant
results are still keeping to it, I cannot say that for my home country. Many
have lost their lives, jobs, families, livelihoods and all. Others continue to
thrive through these trying times.
Some employers made very bold and difficult decisions which
affected employees and stakeholders either positively and or negatively. Those
who were able, were provided with means to work from their homes in order to
keep the company running. This I believe is an area that is new to most of us
in this country (Ghana) and perhaps some other parts of the world. I would like
to believe that those who attempted this new normal way of working despite the
initial challenges were able to get some positive results from it. Whiles the
company benefits since one still put in man hours and get the tasks done, you
also get the chance to be with and spend some time with your families no matter
how little it is. In the end, tasks are completed, targets are met, no excuses
such as tardiness, family emergencies, personal emergencies etc. as you would
normally hear and have to deal with as an employer.
My loud thoughts on this is, if the employees that worked from
home during the period of lock down were able to deliver as expected with no
excuses whatsoever, is it really very necessary for them to quickly rush back
to work (the building) even though there is a high possibility that it is not
safe out there? As an employer, are there measures, if any that you have put in
place to ensure that your employees and you are safe back in the building? For
most of these employees, commuting from home to the work building is a threat
on its own looking at all they have to go through. The people they come in
contact with before getting to the building and the people they come into
contact with in the building. Take this, if I as an employee board a public
transport with 10 other passengers and 5 other colleagues go through same, we
have been in contact with 60 different people just the morning. How do you know
if any of these 60 strangers are careers of the virus or not. This cycle goes
on for a week which gives 300 contacts from 6 employees. If your employees are
more, the higher the contact and these same people interact in the office
building on daily basis. They may observe the safety measures and all but you
never can tell. Are we doing more harm than good? I believe that is what we
should think through as a people even as we are out there.
My personal opinion however is that, it is high time that
those businesses who are capable should really consider having some of their
stuff work from home. Once the selected staff are effective and up to task,
employers should definitely consider. Since money is one of the necessary
factors that comes to mind in such talks, there are a lot of ways that both
employer and employee can benefit from this action. Let’s take a look at a few.
- Less employees in the office building means less space
- Less space means reduction in expenses (rent, bills, stationery etc.)
- No more fuel and or transportation allowances
- No more breakfast or lunch etc.
- The ultimate will be increase revenue which can be used in different ways to benefit the company and employees.
There are various ways to look at this as you read depending
on which side of the table you are. If we agree we are in a technological era and
technology is catching up with us, why not grasp and hold on to this to explore
all the positive and significant values it offers. It will be great to hear
your thoughts on this too. Let us continue to keep to the preventive measures
and stay safe. If it is not an emergency and you are home, please stay at home.
I am Ivy Zelda A. Yeboah, I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from UPSA and Social Media Marketing from Northwestern University. I have lots of experiences in customer service, Marketing, SEO and Social media. I work as a Facilitator in an institution, a freelance Consultant in Social media Marketing, (The Royal Gem Enclave), an entrepreneur and previous experiences as a manager in a contact center/ customer service for Telecommunication and media companies. Feel free to contact me LinkedIn on http://bit.ly/2fVXNlY (Ivy Akosua Yeboah)
Twitter handle @Zeldayeb (Ivy Akosua Yeboah)
Tumblr - Zelda-us Facebook/ Instagram/ Twitter - theroyalgroupc
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