Why Work From Home is a Two-Way Street?

Many organizations have been forced to adopt remote working policies whether they like it or not. Remote work is here to stay.

I travelled to my hometown just a few days before the national lockdown of India. I feel extremely grateful and happy to be with my family in these tough times. May God bless my employer - who supported me through that decision. They didn't question me how I will work when I travel to a small town where continuous electricity and internet are not a guarantee. This kind of trust comes from a very strong relationship between the two of us.

When I arrived home, my mom asked me how will I do homework for so long from here? (By homework, she meant, Work From Home!)

We are living in a different world today where staying home is the best service we can do to our planet. Many of us in the IT era have the luxury (and sometimes pain) of working from home. Companies are finding technology solutions to deal with this new kind of co-working space, where everyone is in their home, yet connected and working. Managers are finding ways to keep track of daily or weekly progress. Senior management team are going under extreme pressures of dealing with dwindling profits or no sales, and figuring out how to still pay fixed bills.

The employees at home are also dealing with this sudden change in life. Many of us are around our young kids 24x7 for the first time for that many days in a row or are taking care of someone sick in the family or elderly family members. There are several glitches with internet connection or sometimes even with electricity too.

So how do we make sure that we are able to work from home without compromising on the quality of the work?

First of all, it is important to note that Work From Home is a two-way street. As much as employers need us to continue to work from home so the businesses are not affected, we also need our salaries to flow every month so our financial health remains sane. And for that to happen, we have to work from home indeed.

This post is not going to offer a technology solution. It is going to open your eyes to a stark reality. How do we build an effective Work From Home Culture -

1. Be grateful - If you still have a job or business, or even food to eat, and a bed to sleep on, be grateful. Period!
2. Be sensitive - Anyone in your team (colleagues or boss or reportee) maybe going through a tough time, or just scared. Acknowledge that. If someone in your team has always been a top performer, they won't suddenly become irresponsible. If your boss has always been empathetic, she wouldn't become a bad person in a week. Be sensitive to others' mood swings, worries, troubles, afflictions or just lethargy. What they are feeling today, you may have felt yesterday.
3. Don't judge - Not everyone can adapt to changes quickly. Don't judge them in past week's performance. Give them time to settle down.
4. Help others - If you see some of your colleagues are not able to make it to a call or complete task because of some genuine problem at their home, offer a helping hand.
5. Inculcate a happy & healthy work culture - This team will come back soon. You don't want to jeopardize your precious work relationships with people you are going to see everyday. Try to have an hour at least once a week with your peers just generally catching up and celebrating little successes. Occasionally send your team "well done" messages. Let your clients know that how much you appreciate them for being patient with dawdles in delivery. Let your boss know that you respect her for being your backbone.

Last but not least - You should make NO compromise on values - No matter what place on earth you work from. If you tell your client to get back by tomorrow, you better do that. When you work, you work. When you take a break, you take a break. But you don't change as a person because of where you are working from.

Hope you are having a happy and superb experience working from home. Just make sure that your colleagues are feeling the same way too.