Saturday, December 26, 2020

The Case for Working from Home Even After the Pandemic

For much of the pandemic, the Chinese government used lockdowns, mass testing, and government isolation, even after only a handful of cases, to stop COVID outbreaks from spreading. Yet continuous lockdowns damaged China’s economy, dragging down factory and service activity, as well as consumption. Other factories are trying to lengthen shifts in order to keep production levels high as staff call in sick. Volkswagen reportedly asked workers in one of its factories in southern China to work 11-hour shifts for at least three days. Bloomberg reports that Volkswagen extended shifts after too many workers called in sick. Officials in Zhejiang province announced over the weekend that those who test positive for COVID could go to work, so long as they showed no symptoms.

case for working from home

That’s an additional seven days per year of good ‘ol productivity. Things happen to everyone—the power goes out or your kid misses the bus. When you’re in the office, it’s easy to pop into your boss’ office to apologize. When you’re at home, don’t forget to let your boss know what’s going on. Asking your boss ahead of time what’s the preferred way to contact them in these circumstances will eliminate the panic in the moment.

Better health

That means you could expect a pay cut if you move from a high cost-of-living area with competitive salaries to a mid-sized city with more affordable living. That's welcome news for the majority of office workers who report they'd like the option to extend their remote-work arrangement beyond the pandemic. A recent Prudential survey of 2,050 U.S. workers finds 68% of those currently working from home would like to continue doing so to some extent in the future. The key to keeping your culture at home is to focus on what you stand for as a company. That’s what attracted people to work with you in the first place, and that’s the mission that will keep inspiring them no matter where they are.

case for working from home

The judge wasn't moved by the airline's attempt to suggest that only the home office counts as a place of work. He added that the only reason Gentile-Patti was going down the stairs at the time she did was to take the lunchtime designated by her employer. An Air Canada employee worked her call center job from home, as so many call center employees have been forced to over the last two years. Added third 2 hour follow up training during 2nd week of live call processing. WFM chat to distribute breaks and lunches, manage when agents need to leave their desk for unscheduled breaks, ensure agent status usage is accurate to maximize productivity. We were unable to continue using the client recommended landlines due to significantly delayed installation dates.

Think about how your decision will impact your team

If they're planning to bring in 30% of the workforce, for example, try making the case that you'll be a part of the team to stay home as a backup resource. Acknowledge that you're willing to make yourself available to take on the work of others if there is another surge of coronavirus cases during reopening. Whether you're an individual contributor or a manager, have discussions with the colleagues you interact with to consider their concerns about a blended remote and in-office team, and hear what solutions they have to offer.

Paula said she and her husband often look after other people's pets over Christmas, giving them chance to have a break, earn an extra income and save money. By trying to keep factories open, companies may also be trying to make up for lost time. Manufacturing activity in China has contracted for four straight months, according to the Caixin Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, as China’s use of lockdowns and mass testing prevented factories from operating at full capacity. Whether you get the green light for permanent work-from-home, or you and your boss agree to a trial period, Carter recommends you get the exact agreement in writing. "This way everybody is clear that the arrangement can go forward no matter who the manager is," she says. Steele Flippin says you can also think of your arrangement in terms of the business's holistic phase-in approach.

How to negotiate a permanent work-from-home arrangement

At this point, you should already have some data about how successful you have been working from home during COVID. Still, be prepared to answer questions about your work environment and how it will help you work from home as well, if not better, than in the office. Your employer is going to want to know what tools you have at home, how you will accomplish your tasks, and what kind of support you will need from them. Many companies use project management software like Basecamp and Podio to manage tasks.

case for working from home

Noisy neighbors can be distracting and prohibit employees from getting into flow. A remote work arrangement, by default, has less interruptions, more time to focus, and a quieter work environment. Of the Covid-19 pandemic, almost 70 percent of full-time employees worked from home. Many employers that perhaps may never have considered offering a remote work option adapted to the necessity. Today, as businesses consider their return-to-office plans, they would do well for themselves and for their employees to continue to offer remote work arrangements for individuals who prefer them.

The reality is that even password protected systems (which aren’t terribly well protected) are seldom actually broken through brute force methods. Instead, they are hacked through social engineering and by a lack of proper clearance of people who have been employed. They are hacked by an over-reliance upon body shops that don’t do rigorous due diligence, and who in turn either through ignorance or malice leave most systems wide open. GettyIt used to be that prior to the advent of such tools, any meeting would be preceded by an hour spent at the copier, making copies of papers and presentations for all of the participants. Today, many office printers go days or even weeks without seeing use, while most documents are available via a link. This same process is removing the need for printing and signing contracts.

case for working from home

During my first months in this big, unfamiliar city, my husband found a job away from home, meaning that I found myself on my own with my laptop and my assignments. Cooped up in the tiny bedroom in our shared apartment, or wandering around cafes looking for the best Wi-Fi connection, I felt lost and lonely. It wasn’t long until I gave up freelancing in favour of an office job.

If you have solid proof that you perform equally well when you’re working flexibly, the onus isn’t so much on you to demonstrate why you should be able to work from home. It shifts the onus onto the employer to explain why they wouldn’t allow it. "This WFH initiative has strengthened Splashtop technical infrastructure to enable employees to work from home more productively." "While we can't go to the office, we can connect from home to the company's network anytime and anywhere without affecting the progress of the work, and this method is very safe. In a corporate office, when an employee needs to reach a colleague, he or she can quickly reach out to that colleague by going to their desk.

With the inability to hire and effectively train new supervisors, including the unknown longevity for the newly on-boarded agent base, we designated a corporate employee to only perform engagement related phone calls to all new agents weekly. This person was there to reassure, calm concerns, and find resources for any issues the new agents were experiencing. Built internal Tier 2 phone-based escalation team of senior agents.

But what happens when an employee working from home gets injured? Companies may overlook implementing workplace safety protocols in remote environments until it’s too late and claims start stacking up. Normally, if an injury occurs in the workplace, liability falls to the employer and Workers’ Compensation covers the case. Regardless of your job or where you live, a commute to the office can take up large portions of the day. The average American commute in 2019 was 27 minutes each way, which adds up to approximately 200 hours per year for a full-time employee.

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