With the rise of the internet, the traditional workplace is changed forever. Those days when all employees are forced to work inside an office may now be gone and may well be not returning soon. Despite initial apprehensions, companies are now slowly opening up to the idea of their employees working at home. Whether companies and corporations like it or not, the Age of WFH (Work from Home) has arrived. And they need to embrace it if they don’t want to be left behind.
The apprehensions are not without a reasonable basis, of course. The internet made almost everything so convenient. With just a click, one can access videos. With just one tap, one can access social media sites. Companies and corporations are worried that it is easier now, more than ever, to be distracted by a million things online if employees are not properly monitored. In the office, monitoring people is almost a given. At home, employers are worried that sites that are designed with algorithms aimed at keeping viewers glued to their screens might cause a dip in productivity.
With the arrival of the global pandemic in almost every shore, these same companies and corporations, despite their apprehensions, are now forced to send their employees home.
Some employees are thrilled. Some, to the confusion of many, are disappointed.
In this article, we are going to compare two working spaces. The traditional working spaces where people work inside offices and the work from home setup where people are working at home or anywhere outside the office.
I’ve spoken to several people and I’ve written down why they prefer one over the other.
Traditional Working Spaces
Clariza Smith works at a big publishing company. She prefers working in the office than at home. She said that working in the office with her supervisors just a few meters away from her work station gives her a sense of security. She claimed that working on projects is difficult and may require supervisory approval most of the time. In the past, when she was working in a traditional office, she could easily stand and walk over to her supervisor to ask for approval. Nowadays, she said, she had to compile her work, which can sometimes take time, and email everything to her supervisor who now works at home just like her. It takes a lot of time to get a response, she said. The lost time has a great impact on my productivity. Since we have hundreds of employees in the office, sometimes an hour would pass waiting for my supervisor’s response. I often times catch myself working through the night for a project I could normally finish within the day. So, it can be stressful. Work hours was long, now it’s even longer.
Ken Simmons works as a web developer for a big company in California. Like many others, he was sent home when the pandemic struck. Most of his friends at work were thrilled. Not him. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, he said, but I can’t work anywhere but in the office. He argued that working inside the office makes him more productive. Home for him has always been a place of rest, so it’s difficult for him to work for hours at home. He always finds himself sleepy despite the many cups of coffee he consumed. It’s not the actual office people I long for, he said. It’s the office setting, he added. Knowing that I’m at a place for work, he said, changes something within me.
Work from Home Setup
Esme Beck is a web designer. She had been working for a big company in New York for five years already. The office, she said, was a fun environment. Everyone was on first name basis. She said she could see herself working in the same company until retirement. That is if, she said, I don’t put up my own company. Like many of her friends at work, she was sent home to protect them from exposure. Two of her supervisors were struck with the virus. One of them, sadly, died. Her first week working at home was a blessing, she said. She’s a new mom, and not having to leave home for work is a wonderful opportunity.
Chadwick Portmore is an introvert. Working anywhere with people has always been difficult for him. The company he’s working for employs hundreds of employees, which for him was a nightmare in the beginning. Their office on the 54th floor of a highrise building in Manhattan was designed by a famed interior designer who thought that the open layout was better than the traditional working spaces. That spelled disaster for the introverted Chadwick who was forced to interact with people every single day. When the pandemic hit, most employees in the office was sent home. He celebrated the moment with pizza and beer. Working from home is a dream come true for him. Working alone in his apartment overlooking the Hudson was the ideal working environment for him. I might look for another job when they ask us to return to the office, he said.
Conclusion?
Both traditional working and working from home have their pros and cons. In the end, it’s up to the employee himself, which one he prefers.
But one thing is for sure, whether you’re working at home or in the office, it’s very important that you have a safe and comfortable working space. That’s where Flexispot comes in. Flexispot offers a wide variety of office furniture and equipments to make sure that you can focus on work for hours on end without the usual backaches, stiffness, and soreness. The Adjustable Standing Desk is the perfect partner. It can be used as a traditional desk and a standing desk in one.
