COVID-19 and Office Workers
It’s now been more than five months since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China. Since then, the coronavirus has spread rapidly. It’s now present in every country in the world except three (as far as we know). The world has changed rapidly in response. Companies with previously inflexible work arrangements have had to change their thinking about how to get work done.
For some workers, this has been difficult. When workers who are also parents got sent home, they had to work (often full-time) while parenting and homeschooling—not an easy feat. For other employees, working from home was a welcome change. Not having to go into the office meant freedom for many. Some are enjoying more time spent with loved ones, and a little more flexibility in how they do their work.
The changes brought on by the pandemic have also benefited employees with disabilities. Many of these workers had been fighting for years for flexibility in work arrangements. Now that these adaptations are in place, they’re better able to do their job. Many of us are actually enjoying working from home. But what happens when the world goes back to normal—whatever “normal” might mean in a post-pandemic world?
What happens to office workers after COVID-19?
Some employees will no doubt rejoice when they return to their offices. They’ll see their co-workers again, chat during coffee breaks, and have true lunch breaks, rather than breaking up sibling rivalry while trying to meet deadlines. For other people, returning to work won’t be as joyful. Some parents actually enjoyed the opportunity to be home more often and see their children before heading off to their home offices. Some people with disabilities found working without having to leave home much easier. And others noticed their productivity skyrocketed when there weren’t any distractions, like a chatty coworker that doesn’t get the hint that you’re in deep work. What happens to office workers who don’t want to return to a “real” office after the pandemic is over?
Convincing your boss to let you work from home after COVID-19
Some bosses may notice that employee productivity has increased during the pandemic. The more open-minded and forward-thinking managers may consider allowing workers to continue working from home, at least part time. Other managers will have to be convinced, and yet others may shut the idea up all together. If you work for the latter type of manager and you want more work flexibility, it may be time to consider looking elsewhere for employment that allows you to work to live, rather than live to work.
For those of us who have zero interest in returning to the regular office, and would much rather stay on our home turf to stay productive but still have our privacy, time tracking is our friend. If you track your time, you can show what you’ve been able to accomplish while working from home. Effective time tracking can also be helpful in improving your productivity before approaching your current or future boss with a work from home request.
How do you convince the boss to let you keep working from home after COVID-19?
You show them how productive you’ve been while you’ve been away from the office. To do that, track your time and show what you’ve been able to deliver within that time. Tracking your time is easier than ever with software that is user-friendly and delivers the results you’re after.
TimePanther is an easy to use, free software that will help you track your time, increase your productivity, and who knows—maybe even convince the boss to let you keep working from home.
Click here to create a free account and get tracking!
Author: Mariana Abeid-McDougall is a multi-niche writer and editor. Her writing appears across the web, where she muses about life, parenting, freelancing and more. Writing and travel are her passions, and she’ll tell you all about them at www.marianamcdougall.com.