By Owen Wiese
There are different reasons that people choose to work from home. Some have worked from home for many years. Others have started to work from home more recently because of the advent of the Coronavirus and the desire of businesses to have their employees work in a safe environment - their home.
There is much discussion as to what will happen after the danger from the virus has subsided. Will the practice of working from home be judged as more efficient and profitable, or will it be decided to have everyone go back to the office where everyone is working together? Many supervisors had the idea that they needed to watch the workers working, so they would continue to work. That has been proven to be a fallacy. There are already so many people working from home and they have proven that the work will get done without the supervisor watching them.
There are many work-collaboration tools available, such as daily video conferences and daily check-ins with the supervisor.
Working from home provides the companies the opportunity to decrease the space used for offices resulting in monetary savings. It also assures that the workers are working in a healthy environment.
There are several people in Garretson who work from home. I asked several of them to complete a series of questions about ‘working from home.’ They expressed their opinions about ‘working from home.’ Does it work, what are the advantages, and what are the drawbacks?
Questions that were asked:
Who do you work for?
How long have you worked for them?
Do you meet periodically with your supervisor in his or her office?
Do you work a specified number of hours per day?
Does the company verify that you are working the specified hours?
Are you satisfied (happy) to be working at home?
What don’t you like?
What would you suggest to someone who is considering working at home?
Given the present economic situation in the country, do you think that the concept of working at home will last? Will it grow?
Finally, if there are any other remarks, questions or suggestions you have based on your experience, please include them.
Each of the persons who answered the questions told us what they do on their job.
The first one is Brad Stensland.
“I have worked for Berry Global based out Evansville, IN for over 35 years, with the last 15 years from home off and on.
“I used to travel extensively, but with the Covid 19 that has come to a complete halt. I must admit that I have enjoyed the time home with my family.
“I generally meet my Supervisor 2 to 3 times a year in person, but I do talk with him on the phone at least once a day. I am an early riser, so start running reports anytime between 5 and 6 a.m., and generally work until 4 or 5 p.m. in the afternoon depending on the day. I have the freedom to leave during the day if I have errands to run. My company tracks how often I am on my computer and how many keystrokes I make in a day so that they would know fairly quickly if I was not keeping up with my work. I do enjoy working from home most of the time, however I do miss the social aspect of not seeing my coworkers on a daily basis.
“If anyone out there is considering working from home or has been forced to with the situation itself, I would suggest you find a private space in your home to set up your office. Begin your day just as if you were sitting at a physical desk at your place of business and try to keep your routine the same. It is very easy to get distracted by day to day chores and you might find yourself staring at home chores."
Continued on Part 2 - Mailed subscription or higher level account required to view
