Work from home, more commonly known as WFH, has become a buzzword in the last two years ever since the Covid-19 pandemic took over our lives. The rapidly increasing cases of this contagion and the lockdowns of major cities around the globe caused people to stay at home, but work had to go on. But how?
Though it seemed that life had come to a halt, it was the work from home (WFH) concept that allowed both employers and employees to manage work and earn a living. Initially, the majority of people felt strange being at home and working, but as time went by, the internet and the WFH concept made this an easy progression. Even now many essential services are still in person, but over time people have become accustomed to this new concept of virtual work.
Work from home – the new work model
Now WFH is seen as the new model of work and many people and organizations are taking full advantage of it and enjoying it to the fullest. It may not be an extremely new idea, but many have recently began adopting this model. According to Forbes, before coronavirus, more than 5 million US employees were working from home at least half the time.
When the internet first hit our lives, people used to say this is the greatest invention of all time. It was fascinating to see how people’s lives changed – how the internet impacted everyone’s social and work lives. But no one could have predicted that a large portion of people would be working from different places, especially their homes using virtual platforms to connect.
Impact of work from home on organizations
Truth be told, work has not been impacted as much as people expected. In fact, some experts think that work has improved and people are more productive working outside the confines of their offices. Let’s dig in to find out the impact of work from home on organizations.
- Working from home has impacted the cost of running a business to a great extent. Many employees are pleased with the amount of money they are saving.
- What is great about this new work model is that the investment doesn’t have to be a huge one. The business can run with smaller groups and infrastructure.
- The money saved on the rent, real estate, utilities, and other costs have gone down and that is something any organization would love.
- There are chances that many jobs will evolve and may need fewer people to complete. That may impact the job market, but it is good news for various organizations spending money to run their businesses.
However, this should not be bad news for the employment market. Traditional jobs may decrease, but these will evolve and more jobs can be created. To fill these positions, employees will have to learn new skills which means they’ll have to be open to new techniques, technology, and other changes in their job descriptions.
As a WFH model saves the company in real estate and other necessities, these monetary resources should instead be redistributed to aid the employees. For example, instead of paying for an office, desks, and computers, companies can readjust to provide employees with the stipends they need to comfortably work from home.
The work from home idea is very interesting as it changes how employers manage their employees. What’s great about it is that it helps save time, which automatically means saving money.
