Working From Home In Times Of Coronavirus
People have been confined to their homes with the enforcement of the 21-day lockdown across the country. Quarantine and social distancing measures are in place to contain the Coronavirus outbreak. Joining the fight against the deadly virus, many companies have also asked their employees to work from home. While some people find this enforced home working boring, there are many who aren’t complaining. Mycitylinks catches up with a few working professionals to know how they have adjusted to the new lifestyle.
Subal Lenka, head of client servicing department in an advertising agency, said his company made all efforts to ensure the safety of employees in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak. “The firm supported the staff during these testing times. The mechanical team removed all the desktops from each department and installed them at homes of employees to help us work without any hassles,” he said.
An official of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd said before the 21-days lockdown was announced, his office used to provide hygiene kit to employees on alternate days that included sanitiser, hand wash, soaps, tissues, masks and gloves. On being notified about the lockdown period, the company made prompt arrangements to help employees operate from home.
Similarly, Shyamalendu Pattnaik of Reliance Industries Ltd said, “To support the State Government’s fight against Coronavirus and keeping in view the safety of employees, our management asked us to work from home much before the lockdown was announced.” He said it is a completely different experience to work comfortably from his home and simultaneously spend time with family.
One of the biggest commercial centres of the Capital city, Fortune Towers also took a step towards fighting Covid-19 by directing all organisations operating in it to shut down offices and make arrangements for employees to work from home. An executive of Tata Steel Ltd at Fortune Towers said all the offices situated in the centre have been closed now and employees are working from home. “Looking at the seriousness of the situation, the office was closed much before the Government advised corporate houses to implement work from home policy for employees’ safety,” he said.
Those staying away from the city and the state for professional commitments have also been asked to work from home. Sushree Sangita Sahoo, who works at S&P Global, Ahmedabad, said staying away from home, she has to juggle between work and several other things. “Earlier, I used to visit Bhubaneswar only on special occasions. But due to the Coronavirus crisis, I came home days before the lockdown and now, doing office work from my home,” she added.
For Bhagyalaxmi Khuntia, a social media professional, working from home is an important step in the fight against Coronavirus as employees are at home away from any health risk. “This is the first time I am enjoying the benefit of working from home as an employee. I got married last month and due to my hectic office schedule, I could barely spend time with my in-laws and other family members. But now, I am able to spend quality time with my family while working from home,” said Bhagyalaxmi.
Homeworking has also helped people bring out their creative side. Other than fulfilling official requirements, they are also able to find time hone their artistic skills by getting involved in various activities. Soumya Dwivedi, a techie working at Tata Consultancy Services, said, “I was into sketching and painting since my childhood but couldn’t continue with it due to my busy work schedule. After my office asked me to work from home, I am able to devote time to my interest."
Another techie Subhashree Panda is happy to work from home since she gets to spend time with her kids and pursue her passion. “I am passionate about cooking and these days, I get enough time to prepare various delicacies for my loved ones. This apart, I am also able to teach my 8 years old son his school lessons,” she added.
Work from home has indeed come as a blessing for office-goers who are making the most of the lockdown period.