One day, I was looking for someone in my Skype's contact list. The status of one of my friends said: “WFH”. My mind was crowded with 100s of E-mails to read, answer, or delete. And with piles of documents to revise and organize. The thought caught my brain for some time (like many small things on social media).
"What does WFH stand for?” I asked my busy self! “could it be (What the “fun” Happened)?” or “Waking-up - Feeling Happy?”, or some sort on internet abbreviation like (TYT), (FYI), (BRB)? My curiosity for words and letters is like a child’s curiosity for new toys or to the surprise in a gift box. I even thought to ask that friend on Skype, what does WFH status mean?
Scrolling down my Skype contact list again a few days later. I found more of my Skype contacts with this status. I figured the connection between those contacts on my Skype. All of them are coworkers, colleagues, clients, or partners in a similar field.
Another day i found one of my closest coworkers with this freaking status “WFH” on his Skype. I got the courage to ask him, what does WFH means? ”Hey, wassup man? How r ya? What does WFH stand for?” I asked politely with this yellow thing at the end of my question >>> ":-)". “Ahmed, What is matter with you? We hardly see you at the office, we think you are the son of the boss, prince charming!!!” he replied quickly! “It’s Working From Home!”
I was working from home for more than 4 or 5 years. I rarely went to the office. Luckily my job did not need too many office hours. My bosses were understanding and supportive. So I did not blind in the “Space Out” mood, from the movie Office Space 1999. Along with the fact that I’m not the office type of person who likes to dress and leave on a certain time to crush my educated brain in the city's transportation system. Sign in then bide the hours to sign out. Yet, my concentration is madly lowered by 50% with the presence of door-knockers for side-chats, leg-stretchers for a cup of gossip, and professional time-wasters. That ain’t me babe, it ain’t me!
It has been analyzed, studied, and educated in modern management all over the world. Some even say it was not that modern anyway! For ages; writers, scientists, artists, academics, and geniuses were more creative and productive when they worked from home.
When Marissa Mayer took the leading role as Yahoo’s CEO, she firmly banned her 12,000 employees from working from home. They were supposed to attend to office in a normal manner. While Yahoo workers were in the internet world, who could get the freaking job done wherever they are!
Here are the Pros and Cons of this debatable management style.
Pros:
No need to dress-up for work. From bed to desk. Not to forget the sweet morning coffee that is not on-the-run!
No transportation hassle. In a crowded metropolitan, the time wasted on the road to the office is money, depression, and spiritual suffocation by all means.
No office gossip. Unless gossipers will still have their meal of side-talks on social media or chat rooms.
The concentration level is controllable. You can adjust your workspace the way you “like”.
No boss is looking over your shoulder. Maybe your boss is emailing you, phoning you. You will grasp the motivation and support more wisely when it’s not in a “Lumbergh” style, from the movie Office Space again :-).
If you are married and with children, you “may” have a convenient room to spend time with your family. Otherwise, you are madly screwed, dude!
Cons:
Unless you are phenomenally self-disciplined, you will not be able to fulfill the required productivity.
You will get isolated from social events and become a lone ranger. If you are an extroverted type. It’s advisable to visit your office from time to time to socialize.
You will have a lot to do to gain your colleagues and your boss’s trust. You are being judged by quantitative information. Rather than human or qualitative measures (Sometimes both are needed for development and self-evaluation).
With too much work from home. You “may” become a “Mort Rainey” from Stephen King’s Secret Window, Secret Garden! A weirdo, schizophrenic or may be violent. That is a wild fact when you are not meeting with people.
Solutions:
If you are working for a company. Try to maintain a casual presence in the office. Socialize and meet with your coworkers at least once a week.
If you are some kind of a freelancer with no office commitment. It’s recommended to involve yourself in social events every once and while.
Try not to let the work from home consume your health and family time. Harder than it seems takes a lot of effort like hell!
Create your own “help-desk”. Be prepared with plans for technical support, administrative tasks, and mentorship.
After all, it’s all about how you can balance.
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