Obviously, this doesn't apply to all supervisors, as many of us would agree our bosses are comfortable with our working from home as long as the work gets done.
Those who fall into this camp are primarily:
- Old school, preferring everyone work from the office all the time
- Control freaks
- Slave drivers
- Micro managers
- Highly extroverted people who prefer verbal to written communication
There's nothing wrong with preferring to work at the office because it affords you more structure, you have fewer distractions to contend with, and so forth.
But many power-hungry bosses can't bear the thought of not being able to pop into your cubicle and press you on why the budget forecast isn't yet complete.
There's no physical office with their title slapped proudly to the door, visible perch from which they can fire off orders.
Instead, they have to settle largely for phone calls, Skype chats, and emails.
The thought of not knowing whether their reports are working at all hours of the workday drives them berserk.
They ask themselves questions like, "Is Julie really working on the presentation, or is she binge-watching that Netflix show she's always talking to Mark about?"
It's time these insecure folks got with the program.
Just because people squeeze in a little TV, reading, or playtime with the kids doesn't mean they're derelict in their duties.
Many of us are quite adept at multi-tasking -- thank you very much. (And I would bet my bottom dollar that these people spend more time doing non-work-related things at home than they'd readily admit.)
What's more, once the pandemic outbreak has receded, working from home -- at least a couple of days a week -- may very well become the norm.
Most of us prefer working in the office, but we want the latitude to be able to work from home should the need arise (e.g., scheduled maintenance for appliance repair, child not feeling well, doctor's visits, etc.)
Ideally, we would all appreciate the opportunity to work, say, twice a week from our room or home office.
And if companies want to stay competitive, attracting the best of the best to their turf, they better be willing to make accommodations for their associates.
Otherwise, they'll see them run over to the competition in droves, which in the end might actually cost the company more money because of the need to have to train someone new.
If your boss gives you a hard time post-pandemic about working from home, it's on you to open their eyes to reality. And if that doesn't work, it may be time to include "telecommuting" as a must-have on your list of desired perks the next time you embark on a job search.
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