THE TIMES ARE CHANGING

The pandemic opened our eyes to new learnings as it gave employees the opportunity to work from home. A measure was put in place to prevent the further spread of the virus, which caused a paradigm shift in the work culture. It broadened staff knowledge of the use of technology, which provided an easy transition for employees to work from home. These additional values are consistently useful working from home or working physically in the office.

There is a position that working from home makes employees concentrate more on their assigned tasks, effective and produce more results as commuting hours to and from the office are taken out.  As a result, there is relief in traffic congestion bringing about a free flow of traffic. Working from home would affect the economy positively because workers would be more productive, and infrastructures last longer as there is minimal density on usage.

On the other hand, there are shortfalls recorded as well; distractions from family and friends during working hours when working from home, internet glitches due to small internet bandwidth, reduced concentration during online training, no limitation to working hours, encroachment into personal space, communication gap amongst colleagues, reduced team support system and many more.

However, there is a dire need to embrace the times that we are in understanding that time is one constant thing that changes, and we do not have control over it. Working agile is the drive for truly “Times are changing”. As a Nigerian, the economic condition of the nation is having a toll on its citizens which has a ripple effect on every other aspect of the citizen’s life from Job performance to productivity in the home affairs and effective comprehension in the school. Using myself as an example, I am affected by the 3 aspects mentioned. The home (Family) into my work (Job) and the formal education I am currently in (MBA at LBS). Working from home or schooling remotely should be not just an option to explore but an option to embrace because it helps the work-life balance beyond mere words.

For an organization, having an effective structure in place that manages how work is done to achieve the desired goal is a major drive tailored towards a win-win approach at both ends (employer and employee). For a school with an emphasis to advance learning I salute those who have broken the barriers of physical classes into online schooling. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but for the objective of creating a balance for adult students, we cannot but embrace the opportunities that come with online schooling and for home affairs, the impact here speaks to presence. Your presence in the home, I mean time spent in the home while doing other commitments online cannot be equal to zero. It is a plus because it helps you see what you wouldn’t have seen if you were away at work or at school physically.

TIPS TO HELP

1. Stay positive
2. Be goal-driven
3. Be open to new learnings
4. Stay focused (Tie this to your wrapper)
5. Activate your support system (family, colleagues, friends)
6. Time Management (Balance your timing to accommodate work and other aspects of life).

see you soon in the next blog

M.A.