Home is where the work is

Its deadly tentacles spread wide and deep, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced a once nuanced ‘Work from Home’ (WFH) concept into an officially mandated, strictly enforced rule. Barring the ones dubbed ‘essential,’ most services have now taken the WFH route. But how exactly is it working?

Faced with the monumental risk of Covid-19’s community transmission, WFH is no more a choice. But how viable has it been to mimic the structured office ambiance in an informal, homely setup? Sectors traditionally conducive to remote, outsourced work have transitioned smoothly. Not the others.

Frustrating lag

Running back and forth to urgently get the WFH systems in place, Masah P from an IT-enabled service firm on Mysuru Road explains the hard part: “Getting remote connections quickly to the office servers is tough. The lag is frustrating,” he explains.

To get the infrastructure ready for the entire team to work seamlessly, that’s the real tough task, he says. “This is critical to ensure that the work from home experience is hassle-free. Coordination with multiple team members is another issue.”

Besides, working from a confined space shared with the family offers its own challenges. “There is always the need to be locked inside a room to avoid disturbances from children, the family.” Issues related to unreliable power connections, especially for those without UPS, also remain problematic.

But then, the proven benefits of WFH manifests to somewhat address the challenges. “Individuals can escape all that office commute-related issues. There is zero travel stress, big time and fuel savings. And of course, you get to completely bypass the pollution outside.”

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Online teachers

Balancing work, home and academic flow is Sridevi Kannath, a Computer Science faculty member from Sishugriha Montessori and High School. A regular timetable in place, the school has started online classes for all high school students. “We conduct the classes daily from our homes, for 45 minutes,” she says.

Kannath uses a mobile app called Zoom. “We have also set up a video chat for meetings. The child can see the teacher constantly. I use a whiteboard and sketch pen to give them a classroom experience. I keep shifting the back and front camera to show my face, and check on them whether they are concentrating.”

It is a challenge to ensure students’ attention. “Randomly, I ask them to show their work. I am not very happy, but something is better than nothing. At least they are able to keep in touch,” she notes. To ensure that the classes are not interrupted, she keeps the mobile phone fully charged.

But, as in several households with multiple family members in WFH mode, Kannath has to share the home WiFi data with her daughter, who works in the accounts section of an IT firm. In homes across Bengaluru, this data is often shared between laptops, children playing game and others watching streaming video on their TV sets.

Also Read: Net slowdown, power cut and roommates, WFH’s long list of troubles

Game-changing disruption

For companies that invest heavily in office real estate, the current shift to WFM could eventually emerge as a game-changing disruption, says Elangoven Kolandaivelu, an executive search professional. “If they can pull off productivity in this model, maybe this could be the game-changer everyone was looking for.”

The emerging business model could be transformative. Elangoven explains, “In India, after employee cost, second highest is real estate cost. Add to that the support service costs. With WFM, office space requirement will drop. So will transportation cost of employees.”

Business models might have to change. “Companies that convert this adversity into an opportunity will come out much ahead. In a way, you are going back to the old model to providing quarters, and hopefully reduce office space requirements.”

Security, infra concerns

Cut to the present, and the transition pain persists. “Basically, infrastructure is the issue. Many at work use desktop. Procuring so many laptops for WFH is an issue. In services industry, stringent security requirements mandated by clients are challenges at home.”

Bengaluru-based companies with operations in China probably had a headstart, Elangoven feels. “They could leverage from that experience, clearly mark out the do’s and don’ts. Getting enterprise level support to ensure uninterrupted connectivity is not possible in a WFH scenario.”

Early adapters

For entrepreneur and marketer, Sudhir Kumar, WFH has been a chosen option for years. He recalls, “I started as a self-employed way back in 2007 more out of need to spend time with my family after my second daughter was born. We were a nuclear family. A telephone and a list of names of people were all that was required.”

To make WFH workable, discipline is critical. Sudhir learnt it early. “Once I realized discipline was the only challenge, I set up a strict schedule to follow and rest fell into place. Today, the business has grown all right with two staffers who also work from home using technology and apps for processes.”

The positives

The present situation required only minor adjustments for his business. “Instead of face to face, we moved to online conference calls,” he explains. The planned approach has given him several positives: “Work-from-home for me gave time to pursue interests such to learn to play Guitar, day-trade the markets, and work on my fitness. By far the greatest gift for me has been time with my family.”

The massive shift to WFH has inevitably led to reduced internet speeds, shortage of internet dongles and network issues. While tech firms can still communicate with their employees at varying speeds, there is another ocean of people outside this bubble for whom WFH is just not an option. But theirs is another story.