Could This Be The End of The Daily Commute?
How COVID has changed the way we look at routine
The long commute to work is one of the least favourite aspects of professional life for most people. Even so, millions of people around the world wake up and drive, take the bus, metro or a cab to work at almost the same time and get stuck in that notorious rush hour traffic. And at around 5 or 6 pm, they spend another significant part of their day stuck in the same traffic heading in the opposite direction. A few enjoyed it, many just dealt with it while several others complained. Either way, most people went along.
In March 2020, a microorganism put a stop to all of that and made us question this very routine that most of us just took for granted. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us rethink a number of things we did rather mechanically.
Not everyone hates the commute though. Many people find the drive or bus/mtero ride to work therapeutic. It allows them to mentally prepare for the work in the day ahead of them. Apart from creating a barrier between their personal life at home and professional life, it gives them time to plan their work. As a teacher, I spent my bus and metro rides planning my lessons. But I certainly did not need it. And I did hate commuting.
Benefit to companies
All the people and companies who were convinced that working from home was not a viable option are now doing it. For those who are able to do it, things seem to be going well. Besides, it allowed companies to realise how much they could save by making it permanent. They could cut costs significantly on rent, utilities and equipment. It would cost them a lot less to provide computers to their staff and even pay for their internet connections. Huge tech firms such as Twitter, Intel and Facebook among others are thinking about making remote working permanent. Some of them have already announced it.
Since they have all been forced to try it out, they will observe the results of this year and decide on extending it or making it indefinite.
Benefit to individuals
Employees who can now work from home no longer have to go through the stress of their morning and evening commutes. They get to spend more time with their families, enjoy hobbies and participate more actively in bringing up their children.
On some days, I save around three hours by not having to go to work. This has done wonders to my quality of life. I now have time to read more, write more, cook better, thus eat better and sleep more.
Working from home is also having a positive effect on our wallets. We no longer have to pay for fuel or public transport which is exorbitant in some cities. Many people are considering moving to cheaper areas or tiny homes as they no longer have to live near their place of work.
Benefit for the planet
With everyone staying within their four walls, pollution levels have gone down drastically. The first few weeks of lockdowns around the world led to a dramatic drop in the number of vehicles on the road leading a superior quality of the air we breathe.
All the fake news about animals frolicking about notwithstanding, it is true that flora and fauna got a small window to thrive while we humans took a break from polluting the environment in all ways possible.
Remote work is not for everyone
All the advantages and anecdotes I mentioned do not of course apply to everyone. Frontline workers, constructions workers, supermarket staff and others cannot possibly work from home. But the pandemic should be an opportunity to make their lives better as well. As we appreciate the hard work and contributions of these invisible workers, regulations should be implemented in order to ensure that they get better wages.
While some people just can’t work from home others don’t want to. When we analyse the innumerable advantages of teleworking, it would be unfair to neglect those who live in abusive homes or have difficult living situations for whom going to work is a much-needed break from the stress, and sometimes trauma, of life at home.
One must not forget the less fortunate sections of society who don’t have the luxury of owning computers, having an internet connection or the knowledge or ability to home-school their kids. Let’s not also forget people who have psychological issues that get exacerbated by staying confined indoors.
Despite the diversity of living conditions that impact the way we work, the one fact that remains is that the novel coronavirus is here to stay at least for the time being. In these times, if working remotely can save us time and improve quality of life then why should it not become a permanent feature where possible?
In a few months, we have learnt several lessons. We now know that it’s definitely possible to come up with creative solutions to ensure that work continues and productivity improves. And more significantly, we have learnt to appreciate something we thought was inconceivable — it’s possible to cook, clean, read, sleep and spend quality time with family and work for a 7 full hours all on the same day.
Hi, I am Prajwal Madhav. I hope you enjoy my posts.
