The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted all our lives, both business and professional. We’ve become highly proficient at baking sourdough, we’ve stood on our doorsteps clapping for the NHS in all weathers, and most of us have settled into an extended period working from home.
Ahh “working from home” – there are three words guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of managers who care more about presenteeism – people being at their desks for a set number of hours – than on what they actually deliver.
Let’s get the disclaimers out of the way right now. I fully comprehend my luck at being a middle class, white-collar, white male. My role means I can work remotely with relative ease. I acknowledge that not everyone is as fortunate, and many people have no choice but to go to a specific location and put themselves at higher risk of infection by doing so.
And I’m not saying that I will never be returning to the office. Some things are better done face-to-face. My employers have spent a lot of time and money designing an office for optimal work and collaboration, whereas my home office doubles as a spare bedroom.
But the problematic fact for the presenteeism brigade is that after almost four months of working from home I’ve not heard a single complaint that things aren’t getting done or that productivity has suffered. Indeed, on balance, there are some very distinct positives.
The level playing field
Most organisations have teams scattered across offices, countries or (in my case) continents. In any meeting or conversation, there is nearly always somebody participating by phone, Skype, Teams or Zoom. But, if we’re honest, those people aren’t participating in the same way as those in the room.
No matter how hard we try and how mindful we are of people joining us remotely, it’s easy to forget and start using a handy whiteboard or flip chart to explain a point. Add to that the low-quality audio they will be experiencing, the noise of those in the room shuffling papers, typing and fidgeting, and it’s no wonder they struggle to follow the meeting.
For the majority of us, this is an infrequent inconvenience on the rare occasions we’ve been working from home. But now lockdown has been the great leveller, and we’re all in the same boat. We have to work harder, but for the first time, everyone on the call is engaged and participating.
My tips? Start each meeting with a social conversation; this makes sure everyone is on the call, and their tech is working. It’s also an excellent opportunity for everyone to introduce themselves. If your choice of conferencing solution and internet connection will support it everyone on the call should have their camera on so you can ensure you’ve not lost the room.
And finally, focus on MVP (minimum viable product) for your meetings. Don’t try and pack the agenda. Online calls require more concentration from participants; it’s tiring, so shorter discussions focused on one or two topics will be far more productive than slogging on for hours.
More time working, less time travelling
The biggest positive for me personally has been the reduction in time spent commuting. I have to get to the railway station and then take two trains to get me to Manchester. Door to door it takes an hour and a half each way, this can quickly become two hours or more if Transpennine Express is having a bad day.
I am working longer hours than I used to with the absence of the train timetable forcing me to leave the office on time. But, when I walk out of my home office, I’m done for the day. I’m not tidying up loose ends or finishing tasks off on the train (or trying to on the rare occasion I get a seat and a Wi-Fi connection).
And in return, I get an extra hour or two of my day back, and this has an evident positive impact on stress levels and mental health. I can spend time cooking food properly rather than throwing a ready meal in the oven. I’m getting a full night’s sleep regularly, and I have time for hobbies again, I’m reading, exercising, even writing blog articles!
I’m also spending less on commuting, doing less damage to the environment. While Pret and Friska in Manchester might be missing my custom, I’m merely spending that money locally instead. The only loser in this scenario seems to be the train companies, and frankly, this is an excellent opportunity to renationalise them as a public service.
Lockdown is fundamentally changing our economy, and not all of those changes are for the better. But for a great many workers, including myself, the shift to working from home is a positive one.
I now work for an organisation where everyone is engaged and participating in meetings regardless of location. And whilst I might be working longer hours as train timetables don’t dictate my working day I’m also getting more time to relax and recharge and that’s better for me, my employer and the economy. Long may it continue.