Expert: Working From Home Likely
Remain More Of A Norm Even
After Coronavirus Pandemic Subsides
CBS2-TV (Chicago),
by
Staff
Original Article
Posted By: AltaD,
4/28/2020 4:05:10 PM
With so many people now working from home, many employees and employers alike are now wondering if it will become permanent or semi-permanent. Andy Challenger of the executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas joined CBS 2’s Brad Edwards and Irika Sargent on “Hour 18” Sunday to explore what the future of work might look like given the changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.(Snip) about 28 percent of companies that we surveyed said they are going to make some of their positions; some of their employees permanently work from home employees. So they’ve invested in the infrastructure, the hardware, the software; created the policies, and companies
Reply 1 - Posted by:
WhamDBambam 4/28/2020 4:13:02 PM (No. 394551)
I’m not sure that’s going to be a good idea. You need a clean break between work and home, sometimes. I tried to follow the “never work where you sleep” rule in school.
4 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
anniebc 4/28/2020 4:32:33 PM (No. 394569)
It boils down to individual choice or adapting if you have no choice. I've worked a full time job and a business from home over the last 12 years. I'm salaried, so there are expectations for me "being on the clock" for meetings and conferencing, but my boss is very understanding of the work from home dynamic, because he does it as well. I save a lot of money on clothes, gas, use of my car, food, etc., and I'm home for all of the home repair visits. My company pays for my cell phone and my internet. I work very well from home, because I've done it so long. It works for me. It would eliminate a lot of traffic in places like DC and Atlanta if more people worked from home. It makes sense for some jobs and some people, while not so much for others.
11 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
BeatleJeff 4/28/2020 4:33:14 PM (No. 394570)
Not for me. I frickin hate teleworking. The only reason I'm doing it was because my agency's director mandated it. First chance I get I'll be back in my office where I can function properly..
5 people like this.
I am sick of hearing about the "new" normal and "new" norm.
6 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Proud Texan 4/28/2020 4:37:39 PM (No. 394580)
What happens when it gets figured out that not having to go to work means the job isn't really needed in the first place?
5 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
stablemoney 4/28/2020 4:40:45 PM (No. 394586)
New options will be available, including work from home, curbside pickups, online learning. It works for some, and for some it don't, but the options are nice to have. Curbside pickup is great for the elderly that may be temporarily too ill to go into a store. Work from home allows companies to retain older experienced workers in some capacity. I wonder about the open office concept, which I have worked, and enjoyed the interactions it allows. We will see, not up to me.
2 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Ming 4/28/2020 4:42:01 PM (No. 394589)
I like working at home. I get to smoke my pipe, which I can't do at work. Unfortunately, I have limited access to the research material I need when not in the office, so let's get back to business-as-usual soon, Mr. President.
3 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Quigley 4/28/2020 4:43:39 PM (No. 394590)
Wow! An e-x-pert.
With all these experts, how could anything ever go wrong again?
An e-xspurt.
3 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Illinois Mom 4/28/2020 5:04:15 PM (No. 394608)
I worked from home in our own business for years when my kids were little, you just have to treat it the same as going in to work anywhere. I never worked in my pajamas, I always dressed as if someone would see me, and, this was before any video existed. From 2009 -2014 I worked for a Maryland company while at home in Illinois. I really hard to bone up on MD geography and pronunciations but it went well. By this time teleconferencing and software that allowed us to "meet" and ask questions of our team was used and made things easier. I did a free lance job recently for another company in MD and with Office 365, video conferencing, and the ability to be connected to their actual phone system remotely, I knew they could "see" everything that I was doing and it left no room for slacking off.
I can see how it would be a great thing for some people, and business owners can check in on everything while out of town, but, there is still something to be said for actually being in the presence of your coworkers, a change of scenery, and going out to lunch with work friends.
5 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 4/28/2020 5:06:12 PM (No. 394612)
Working from home has benefits for companies in many ways. First, they don't need as large a building to house their employees, or any building at all, as remote employees pay their own rent and utilities, not the company. Second, they take cars off the road, benefiting cities in which they're based as their "clean air" initiative. Third, numerous studies have been done that prove remote workers are actually more productive with a much higher morale.
Another option is a flex-week where 2 or 3 days a week the employee must come into the building to be "observed" by old school management, or as required for any F2F meetings.
One of the upsides of the Chi-Com virus has been inducting many companies into this method who would never have opted to do it normally. They know now that it does work, and well.
5 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Mushroom 4/28/2020 5:21:27 PM (No. 394639)
I worked from home for 20yrs. It's not for everyone, there is a discipline that must be practiced.
There has to be a level of trust between employer and employee. I wasn't always at home, I had to travel to remote locations on a very regular basis. Since I (apparently) have the attention span of a gnat, home was excellent. I could deal with a bill real quick the moment it popped into my head and then return to whatever I was doing. Same thing in the middle of the night. I'd jump out of bed after dreaming the solution to a vexing work problem.
Downside is my customers knew I was home and had no qualms about calling well after hours. Even though I 'could' have ignored that phone, the hardcore employee in my just wouldn't allow it. Hence, it's not for everyone.
Since I wasn't one of the more social people that helped, but yeah. if you even need to go 'out' to lunch and socialize, you might want to rethink it.
5 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
chance_232 4/28/2020 5:30:13 PM (No. 394651)
Working from home is a mixed bag for me. It has the advantage of fewer interruptions from fellow office workers butmore interruptions from the puppy that wants to play. And from the other half. Guess which of the two gets the attention.
Some days I would get squat accomplished and other days I would be surprised at how late it had gotten.
Working from home does take self discipline.
3 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Videodrone 4/28/2020 5:30:31 PM (No. 394653)
I've mostly worked from home for over 25 years - depending on the project there is usually some "on site" time for build or shows but the bulk of my time is spent on a workstation with big monitors.
You do have to treat it like you are going to the office each morning but it's an easy commute and you don't have to deal with strange smells from the refrigerator from co-workers forgotten lunch or burned popcorn and the coffee is all yours!
4 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
swarfer 4/28/2020 5:51:57 PM (No. 394676)
I worked at home for my company from 2000 to 2013 before retiring.
Occasionally I would travel to headquarters or a site but 98% was from home. I was one of the first to do so in my organization. I started with very slow dialup internet and ended up with 10mbs. I dedicated a small bedroom into a full blown office. Not being particularly smart I compensated by working long hours and weekends to make deadlines, thus avoiding all the layoffs and getting regular raises. It was a secret weapon.
People wondered why I retired at 60 since I was working at home. No one knows how much you work when you're at home. I covered the east coast early morning calls to late evening west coast calls or meetings making for a long day. Generally I worked about 60 hours a week and frequently 80hrs during a crunch. I was able to do this because I was active and in very good health with few home distractions.
Of course it was great not having to get ready and dive etc. every day to work, but in reality I working while others were showing, shaving and commuting. Many people will not survive working at home because they will be unwilling or unable to put in the long hours required to be competitive with other home working who have no family etc.
Employers are the real winners when employees work at home. Employees end up working more for the same amount of money.
4 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Mushroom 4/28/2020 6:03:23 PM (No. 394688)
I apologize for the second post but it's important...#13, I have great respect for your posts, but if your answer wasn't "The Puppy" then I dunno. :) But that does bring up the second big piece.. If you cannot train your spouse to leave you alone, you will be fighting an uphill battle. Fortunately, it only took a few figurative newspapers to the nose before loving spouse left me alone at work. The cats and dogs? Aw, they knew what to do and just curled up. No training needed!
1 person likes this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
czechlist 4/28/2020 7:08:28 PM (No. 394751)
I know someone who has worked from home for a decade and loved it.
Now she is having panic attacks. Psychological
0 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
LC Chihuahua 4/28/2020 7:25:13 PM (No. 394759)
It depends on the employer. There is no incentive if my job is likely to go away. My former employer created 200k jobs overseas while phasing out a like number in the United States. Did plenty of overtime. Most of it on the job. Some of it at home. I was a firm believer in the work life balance.
0 people like this.
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With more people permanently working from home there will be fewer who need or want to live in the city close to the office.