The New Normal: Work from home? Never

Work from home? Never!

Way before coronavirus reared its ugly head, I worked remotely. As a magazine editor, I wrote and edited from the comfort and chaos of my own home for 22 years.

Working part-time meant I was available to my kids when they arrived home from school. I liked the efficiency of combining my various roles — pushing the washing machine button and then going to my desk. Or popping something in the oven and then finishing off an article so I could meet a deadline. And I usually did meet deadlines. Being based at home did not negatively affect my work. In fact, it possibly made me more productive.

But over the years friends frequently asked, “Don’t you find it distracting?” Some asked quite silly things such as, “Aren’t you tempted to clean the fridge?” I was forever explaining that I would be much more distracted trying to write in a busy office. And no, I was not at all tempted to clean my fridge.

Sometimes people expressed the view that it was preferable for all of the work team to be in the office. That way you could “share ideas when you bump into each other in the corridor”. But, having worked both in offices and from home, I’ve learned that the issue is communication, not geography. You can sit right next to a colleague and still not communicate well if neither of you makes the necessary effort. You can sit at a desk in your bedroom, and use Zoom to interact often and well with co-workers. Maybe it takes more intention, but it works. I already knew that when the first lockdown was declared.

So I’ve been watching with interest as more and more employers have discovered — because they’ve had to — that their staff can do their jobs remotely. Those who were against the idea 10 years ago may now see the benefits. And those who never imagined working outside the office have tasted a healthier work-life balance.

My husband and I have learned that we can get along 24/7! Though he’d prefer to be back in the office, he’s adjusted quite well, thanks to his ROUTINE. He gets up early and cycles 20 km, the equivalent of cycling to and from the office. He starts work at the same time as he did pre-Covid, and continues to stop for lunch at 12.30 every day. And, if I’d comply, he would probably eat a tuna baguette five days a week.

When lockdowns come to an end many big companies will still not be able to invite their staff back because they don’t have the necessary floor space for social distancing. Others, who have plenty of space, will never again be closed to the idea of remote working. Although I still write from home, I look forward to resuming my part-time job at the library when it re-opens. If everyone else is working from home, I might need somewhere else to go!

The New Normal is contributed by Suzanne Green. Suzanne, a freelance writer/editor, lives in Balerno and writes regularly for Konect. She is married to Andy and they have two adult daughters.