Why “Work From Home” is Here to Stay

The love for work from home is intensifying immensely.

It could be because the winter season is upon us and COVID anxiety is surging in many parts around the world, but nonetheless, people don’t want it to go.

I’ve been work from home for the past 6 months since I returned from my army deployment. This “new normal” has been an intense shift that I don’t completely mind — especially if it allows me to minimize virus risks and keep my family safe.

“About 71 percent of Chicago teachers voted to approve union leadership’s plan to refuse to work at schools but continue to teach online, the union announced Sunday”.

The demand for work from home has teachers and employees going on strike to do whatever it takes to maintain everything, at least until the virus gets under control.

In order to return back to normal, it’s going to take all of us. But with the current conditions of the world, we could see work from home continue to be highly glorified for the foreseeable future.

It’s Still Too Early to Risk It

As much as I miss seeing my co-workers and driving into the office, I don’t feel 100% confident about going out and potentially contracting the virus.

In the summer, I toughed it out because I wanted to live it up, but in the winter it’s a different story. People I know are going out and living their bests lives, but coming back sick. And they wonder why.

Covid-19 has killed at least 421,670 people and infected about 25.3 million in the United States since last January, according to data by Johns Hopkins University.

Doctors estimate about 1 in 10 who’ve been infected will continue to struggle for weeks to months after they clear the infection. That will leave millions trying to manage a disease that may well turn into a chronic condition according to WebMD.

It’ll take even more time than we expected to return to recovery mode if we’re all doing our own thing and being selfish.

At the end of the day, it’s your life and no one has the right to tell you how to live it, but if there’s ever a day where you find yourself sick from trying to live life normally again, no one can say that you weren’t warned.

Work from home keeps you safe inside your home and is also incredibly convenient.

Work From Home Has Its Perks

If we’re going to talk on behalf of work from home being a good thing, then we have to identify the aspects that make it stand out.

• You spend less money and watch your bank account climb.
• You get to work in the comfort of your own home, in your own environment, in any fashion you prefer.
• You don’t have to worry about possibly contracting the virus from someone else.
• You can still get the same amount of work done at your own convenience, as long as it gets done.
• You get more time with family or your significant other.

In a study from Business Insider, full-time remote workers said they’re happy in their job 22% more than people who never work remotely.

The reasons respondents said they decided to work remotely were better work-life balance (91%), increased productivity/better focus (79%), less stress (78%), and to avoid a commute (78%).

Everyone has their own pros and cons list by now about the whole work from home status, and from everyone I’ve spoken to, there are more pros than cons.

Many of us want to return to normal life, go to concerts, travel freely, and reunite with everyone close to us, but our lives aren’t worth the cost of jumping into it too soon.

“We like to give people the freedom to work where they want, safe in the knowledge that they have the drive and expertise to perform excellently, whether they at their desk or in their kitchen.

Yours truly has never worked out of an office, and never will.”

— Sir Richard Branson, Virgin America

When Life Becomes Normal Again

Once the majority of businesses return to in-person work, there will likely be pushback and resistance. It’s almost like getting snow days in school and then having to return to school again.

My prediction is that certain workplaces will allow for a hybrid option to work remotely.

Although not every business will advocate for WFH, the far majority will see benefits in keeping their employees at home, so long as the work is getting done.

Benefits for Businesses Continuing Work From Home

• Don’t have to pay for as many overhead expenses in the building.
• Easier to get a hold of people at home than in the office.
• Productivity is higher because employees are generally happier.
• People are so used to it already, that they don’t want to put their employees out of their comfort zone.

Work is work nonetheless, but the bottom line is that as long as things are getting done when they’re needed to be done, there is no issue or liability to businesses.

Some jobs are going to require people to come in-person simply because that's the nature of their business, but for the jobs that are online, they’ll likely be in the clear to work however they please.

Final Thought

Work from home has more pros than cons for both businesses and its people. Throughout this entire pandemic, we’ve been forced to adapt to new situations, and many of us are itching to return back to normal again.

It seems like we’re making progress, but at the same time, mass gatherings and people not following the rules keeps us held back.

Without working together, we might not see normal for quite some time.

I’m optimistic about the future, but as far as work goes, I believe work from home is here to stay.

“Technology now allows people to connect anytime, anywhere, to anyone in the world, from almost any device.

This is dramatically changing the way people work, facilitating 24/7 collaboration with colleagues who are dispersed across time zones, countries, and continents.“

— Michael Dell, Dell