Hyderabad: For Anitha Krishnan, who thrived on human interaction to think creatively, missed out on it all thanks to Covid-19-led work from home or anywhere model. Now, after moulding herself to the new normal of virtual meetings, she is finding it difficult to go back to the office. “In the last two years I have […]
Hyderabad: For Anitha Krishnan, who thrived on human interaction to think creatively, missed out on it all thanks to Covid-19-led work from home or anywhere model. Now, after moulding herself to the new normal of virtual meetings, she is finding it difficult to go back to the office.
“In the last two years I have got used to waking up just half hour before my office hours. Although I miss interacting with my colleagues, this new routine gave me the freedom to explore my other interests and also saved me from jam-packed traffic,” says Krishnan who has been an IT professional for four years.
Unlike Krishnan who has made peace with the new normal, Gaurav Reddy (34) would want to go back to office. For Reddy, who has a five-year-old child at home, juggling work and home is becoming difficult and he wants the work flexibility. “Having a kid and parents at home makes it difficult for us to concentrate on meetings and work. So, once our company started hybrid work and I work from office at least 2-3 days a week,” he says.
In the post pandemic world a certain kind of job roles have completely gone remote and certain others will require a flexible working model. The pros and cons of working from home might differ according to the job role, yet companies are looking at making hybrid work model more efficient.
Advantages of remote roles:
The work from home or anywhere model offers employees to choose their place of work thus helping them save money on rent, transportation and other lifestyle expenses. “Some have gone back to their native places where connectivity is not an issue. This helps them stay closer to families,” says Vijay Yalamanchilli, CEO, Keka, HR management services.
For the companies, the WFH model helps them having a happier workforce and also allows them to utilize their physical spaces more optimally. “It also helps the companies to throw their net far and wide in terms of attracting talent and helps them save leasing costs in terms of huge buildings,” says Sashi Kumar, head of sales, Indeed India.
Disadvantages of remote roles:
While remote working model may not be suitable for all kinds of roles, experts suggest that even for those roles where it is suitable, total missing of human interaction may not be possible.
“Some of the most innovative ideas have come through during coffee breaks. For employees at the mid-management level having a complete remote work model may not be sustainable and suitable. A total remote role might be possible in small teams but at some point they would also like to meet physically,” says Yalamanchilli. He also opines that freshers are at a disadvantage as they are seeing work as a transaction and then it becomes hard for them to grow in their career.
“Work from home has put a lot of pressure on employees to clock in certain number of hours and for women employees it is becoming difficult to maintain a work-life balance. Availability of right infrastructure in terms of laptop, internet is also another big hindrance,” says Kumar.
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