Does Work from Home or Office Make a Difference?

Plus ?a change, plus c'est la même chose – the more things change, the more they stay the same…

Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

3 years past pandemic lockdowns, we are still debating work from home. Don’t we have anything more important to talk about than WFH vs WFO? What’s it really about anyway??

From the days of hunters and gatherers, whoever hunted and gathered did not do it from home. They had to get out. Someone had to stay home in the interest of the survival of the species. That became the woman’s responsibility. That tradition survived till the Industrial Revolution. In the Knowledge Age, this is an anomaly practised only by remnants of women-are-unequal-so-stay-home societies. It’s Talibanist.

Even before the pandemic, knowledge work, which included most of the technology space, was about work from home productively. Carrying over the tradition of man-machine symbiosis in manufacturing and mining industries, organisations found it a cultural artefact to bring workers to a workplace, though this was not necessary. Psychologists, as always, found creative reasons to justify this, glorifying the psychologically safe workspace. If workspace can be psychologically unsafe and toxic why stay with it? Perhaps Edmondson can answer.

Psychological safety and work-life balance are not issues of the workspace. They are problems of mind space. They will persist whether one works from home, at a workspace, or in hybrid mode. Yes, we are social animals. So, we manage social gatherings outside the workspace as needed and relevant even from a work perspective. Forcing people to congregate in a prison-like atmosphere is a show of control and power, unrelated to work performance and productivity. It’s easier to intimidate people in physical proximity. I grew up with some of this culture.

I coach dozens of people from varied backgrounds and geography. I find that most if they are centred and stable, are comfortable working outside of a formal office space remotely. They do appreciate the opportunity to mingle at times and locations of mutual convenience, without being forced. Anyone who has read Seligman’s Learned Optimism will understand the empowerment of choice.?

WFH or hybrid work is going to be the future, not WFO. This will be the norm because it will cut down costs of office space, transport, travel for meetings, hotel stays and hosts of other reasons. There is no earthly reason for 80% of travel for work and meetings. I believe CFOs will lead this change, not pseudo-psychologist human relations leaders. Leaders will be forced to justify the costs of work from a workspace. Most often, this is not only wasteful to the organisation but is a collective societal waste of energy usage, congestion in traffic, stress and other factors. This will change Metro planning.

We are on the cusp of a lasting change in work-life habits. This will affect the way we educate our children as well. Mind work has almost replaced manual work in the organised sector. With automation, many sectors will find it easier to work remotely. This change in work habits will result in profound cultural life changes. Metros need not be population centres. Zoho demonstrates this already.???

Most importantly, work from home is good for the spirit. We will have more time to reflect and be aware. So, be aware.

Reflect

·??????Why don’t you want to work from home??

·??????Do you dislike your personal environment??

·??????If you do and it’s toxic, are there solutions other than escape to a workspace??

·??????Does the workspace address your wellness??

Please share with your network. Please write in, resonant or dissonant. Let’s have a conversation.?Please share with others who may benefit.?

Ram is a co-founder and mentor at Coacharya?https://coacharya.com . Ram's focus is the integration of Eastern wisdom with modern science, spiritually, systemically and sustainably. Visit Coacharya.