WORK FROM HOME in Indian context –Issues that arise

Introduction

A majority of Indian employers — particularly in traditional industries — do not allow work from home. Even as new-age start-ups are open to remote working, at larger companies, it’s an option that is often offered as a perk or for special needs.

The swift, global proliferation of COVID-19 has made a lot of us work from home.

The Perception Issue — Work From Home = Holiday

“Oh, you must be chilling, right?” comes the question from the inquisitive relative.

I ask “Why do you think so?”

She says “You have Work from Home this week”

No matter, you much you would resent such a notion, Work from Home is indeed a very difficult concept in the Indian market. Most people equate it with a holiday.

Ethics Issue

In fact, when we started CAJobPortal.com 5 years ago, we had the role of ethics playing ub. Owing to personal issues, an employee requested for Work from Home. We agreed. Productivity went down drastically. Later we had to install a software that took random screenshots from the employee’s laptop to keep them on their toes, applied analytics in terms of mouse and keyboard movements to predict their engagement levels. Surprised by this, the employee resigned within a week

‘How would you act when no one is watching?’ is a question that must be asked here.

Bosses

There is resistance from top management in acceptance of Work from Home. Managers often worry about remote employees working less, or multitasking, mixing personal responsibilities with work.

They feel that unless you have the boss’s Sword of Damocles hanging over employees, the latter just won’t work.

In a WFH scenario, they can’t micro-manage. The cats are away so the mice are playing :)

Insecurity

Other challenges people we spoke to feel is that we risk oblivion if we work from home. If bosses don’t see us working, will that make us dispensable, will it impact appraisals, and will we be the first ones under the line of fire in case retrenchment happens. The onus is on the work-from-home individual to be over communicating what they’re doing and what they’re accomplishing.”

Not suitable for all functions

In, say a Strategy role, where interpersonal communication is needed to develop effective responses to critical challenges, Face to Face interaction is of paramount importance. Similar is the case of Banking & Treasury where there is a lot of ‘hard copy’ and signatures that need your physical presence. In comparison, if a job is very independent — that is, the employee can carry out most job duties with little or no coordination with co-workers — the transition to WFH is more likely to result in productivity increases

Motivation at Work

Without face-to-face, in-person contact, important pieces of communication can get lost. “Emotions are information … and emotions influence performance. Whether it’s picking up on the best practices of your colleagues or having an impromptu brainstorming session over lunch, it’s hard to replicate that from home.

According to Wharton management professor Stewart Friedman, the isolation raises “the whole question of how you manage the boundaries between work and the rest of your life”. At least when you travel to office and back, you have the option to put the glass down and come home leaving behind the worries. When you have an entire army of folks working around you, it’s easier to get the motivation to work. Without an office, “you have to create that entire structure yourself”. Without the structure of the office, solitary workers can succumb to “the distraction of the laundry, the pets, the neighbours, friends looking for company, boredom and other types of demands”

Some feel that WFH just doesn’t work

While there are divergent views on this, there certainly one that draws attention.

Flipkart cofounder and one of the most active angel investors Sachin Bansal says that working from home has not been great. Bansal tweeted “WFH Sucks”

When Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer had announced a complete ban on “Work from Home” in February 2013, the memo circulated read, ‘Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings.’

Final Thoughts

There is a lot that WFH gives and a lot that it takes away. Probably there is no universally applicable solution there. How has been your WFH experience?

Thanks & Regards!!

Sonia Singal: CA Job Portal

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