Is working from home really the way forwards for everyone?

There’s been a lot of talk recently about “Working from home” and “Working remotely”. The general feeling is that they are the same thing.

Of course, they’re not.

 It’s important to realise that as we move into a new way of working because if we fail to do that, we put unnecessary stress on our colleagues and partners, not to mention our families

At JCM, we have been working remotely for the last 10 years. You’d expect nothing less from a senior Zoho Partner. I normally spend my days at client sites, or sitting working in coffee shops. I have all the information I need available in the cloud on our operational and finance systems. Our communications are all through work based apps like Zoho Connect.

Nothing could be easier.

Then we have the pandemic, and we are all working at home.

Now, I’ve worked from home on and off for more than 20 years. There is a discipline and a routine you need. I also benefit from having a dedicated home office to use. In the past I’ve also been used to going to the office and interacting with colleagues and catching up on business face to face.

BUT. This is different. Enforcing working from home removes the ability to meet around the water cooler, the small snippets of conversation that are key to running a business. All the technology in the world cannot replace the importance of human contact.

Personally, I found the 3 months working at home became progressively harder. Motivation became an issue. Focus became difficult, and an overload of Zoom sessions for a couple of weeks drained energy. ( do we really need 15 people on a call??!!). Suddenly I’m working 7 days a week, and being less productive.

More importantly, my team is battling with homeschooling, childcare, working from the kitchen/bedroom/under the stairs etc etc. My pressures were nothing compared to theirs.

A couple of weeks ago, we reopened the office under very careful conditions. We have got back to something resembling a reasonable pattern of working. Productivity is returning. We’ve limited online meetings to 6 people and 90 minutes maximum, to give our clients a break as well.

The moral is that you are not on your own if you feel overwhelmed. The message to companies is to recognise the pressures your team are under. Working from home may seem a goo0d way to reduce costs, but not at the cost of your teams mental health