Working From Home
We are still in the lockdown which is affecting almost every country around the world. So, most of the companies worldwide is encouraging the Working From Home “WFH” policy. So, we are are a digital first generation, depending mainly on Slack or Skype or Zoom or Webex or any other form of virtual working environment. With the background noises of having our families or pets around. Yes, it is normal to listen to the dog barking or the kids screaming in the middle of a business meeting. Life is changing, isn’t it? I have asked few friends to share with me their experience around working from home. They are in various professions: doctor, software engineer, software developer, marketing, strategy & transformation leader, and GIS solutions manager. All of us have a first hand experience working from home. And below we will discuss our experiences, pros, and cons.
Personally, I do work as a digital campaign manager in the marketing department, so working from home is applicable given that everything I do is digital. However, working from home with my family around is challenging. Given that my mum might watch videos on FaceBook while I am in the middle of a virtual meeting speaking about “being a remarkable woman in the workplace”. Or my father is having another conference call at the same time of my team virtual meeting. For me the pros of working from home are being flexible & wearing comfy clothes, having more time to spend with my family having more time to pursuit my passions, and saving the commuting time & stress. The cons are working extra hours & having my family around sometimes is not comfortable. Aya Amr, she works as CMO assistant. Working from home policy is activated only if you are sick or with kids. Currently, working from home is efficient with her as the workload is very little. The pros are having more time to spend with her parents, watch movies, and read books. As well, there is flexibility, wearing comfortable clothes, food & drinks, and there is less stress as no manager or colleagues are sitting around you. The cons for extroverts that she hates staying at home for long times. Maged Shalaby, he works as a lead software developer. Working from home is encourages in his company prior to Coronavirus. For him, it is not bad as they use Slack for team communication, Zoom for online meetings, and Notion for tracking their tasks. So far, working from home is productive & going relatively well. The pros are not wasting time in transportation that used to be stressful, setting your own schedule, having less distractions and more time to work. The cons is the decreasing the human interaction which is less satisfying, given that some issues can be resolved quicker face to face & now it is taking more time than usual.
Mohamed Ameen, he works as a software engineer. Working from home is allowed even before the current Coronavirus thing. Unlike all of the other contributors, Mohamed is based in Germany. So, starting the 16th of March the whole country moved to the working from home culture. His setup is perfect as he is living alone with a big desk & 2 external monitors. As well he has a coffee machine that he has bought three weeks ago for the current circumstances. The pros of working from home are being more comfortable, quite, and saving the commute time. The cons of working from home are being a bit lazy, using lots of devices, moving everything home & connecting everything together was a big hassle, and staying at home for a long period will eventually turn him crazy.
Yasmine Abou Hussein, she is working in marketing. Her company is offering the working from home option. The funny part of working from home is that they are working, schooling, and doing sports online. So, they have opened an office, school, and club at home. And everyone is thinking that s/he is the only one engaged & the others are free. So, when her son finishes his class he starts talking to me while I am on a business call. Pros of working from home are being together as a family, having time to be together to have meals, play games, and watch TV. Cons of working from home are boredom especially for a family that spends 12 hours a day outside, and we are missing our extended family members.
Bassam Muhammad, he is a software engineer. Working from home is encouraged in their company. So far, it has beed okay, not bad and not great. Pros are working while wearing comfortable clothes away from formal suits, and working while eating/drinking or even watching TV. Cons are working more hours to get things done , and the systems are slower than in the office.
Mai El-Samman, she works as a strategy & transformation leader. Working from home is applied in her company. Working from home for her is both relaxing & hectic. Once her 2 & 8 months daughter was very frustrated during a call with Mai’s manager because their voices were loud. So, she came beside her while watching cartoon with a louder voice “mummy, waty el sot”. Pros of working from home is flexibility as you aim to deliver and achieve more as a result of the trust the company has given to you and more work-life balance. Cons of working from home are distraction, allowing her daughter to have a lot of screen time so she can work, and connection sometimes is not that perfect.
Zizo, he works as a GIS solutions manager. Working from home is applied in his company. He has neither pets nor kids, so working from home is efficient to him. Sometimes, TV sound crosses the business calls. Pros of working from home are saving time & energy wasted in transportation, flexible timing, higher production away from the usual interruptions in office, being able to take care on family members, and comfortable clothes. Cons of working from home for too long is boring and you will miss socializing with the team.
Esraa Fathy. she works as a doctor & international certified trainer. She is currently working from home which is not so good especially with kids around. the pro for her is working with the pyjamas & the con is stress because kids don’t let her work. During this working from home thing, Esraa has started her Youtube Channel to create content related to health, hygiene, nutrition, and wellness.
Whether you like it or not, currently we have to stay at home for our safety. Thanks to all the contributors & thanks to all the aware companies that have applied the working from home policy in such situation. Your safety comes first!