Picture this:
A working professional in her late 20’s during the pandemic, subjected to the ‘work from home’ culture. Her eyes are red from being glued to the screen for long. She stretches her stiff neck and shoulders from time to time. No human interaction with colleagues, no light-hearted conversation by the coffee machine. Just hours and hours of strenuous work, excel sheets, and presentations!
Ever since the Covid-19 virus has invaded the nation, this has been the reality of hundreds of working professionals across various sectors. Now, work from home, without the hassle of traveling to your workplace may sound like fun. And it was! Until we all realized the importance of a physical workplace.
Work from Home – Boon or Bane?
Fixed office hours (read ‘approximately fixed office hours’) help us maintain the work-commute-life balance. With commute out of the equation, work-life balance has gone for a toss during this time. Ask any professional near you, they will definitely agree!
While the work from home culture was supposed to have its own benefits, experts suggest otherwise. Work from home leaves little space for boundaries, as individuals and couples alike have to juggle domestic chores, children, and other things. Work from home, which was supposed to help people spend more time with their families, now has them skipping meals to complete projects.
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According to The Hindu, an online survey suggests that work from home is more ‘stressful and lethargic’. 33.3% claimed that they had their leave applications denied, not to mention health ailments like headaches, backache, and sleep disorders.
Is it even harder for women?
A classic argument that never goes out of fashion – work from home in case of married women includes work for home as well. Reports bring to light the painful fact that this kind of work culture will only worsen the already disturbing gender gap.
Women, if working from home, are also expected to cater full time to domestic chores singlehandedly, it definitely makes the work-life balance even harder for one particular gender. Therefore it is crucial for women to be even more cautious of the physical and psychological damage caused by the pandemic infused work system.
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Work, Life, And You – Valuing Things That Matter
So what would you do in such a situation? Are you brave enough to stand up for your health or are you unable to say ‘no’ to overwork and other similar forms of mild exploitation?
It’s Time to Take a Stand
As rebellious as it may sound, it is high time young professionals took a stand to safeguard themselves from various physical and mental health issues that are and will crop up from this kind of a working system.
Here’s how you can do it –
It is important to keep in mind that, we cannot please everyone at the same time. Learning to say no to the superiors is definitely a daunting task, but one you must master in a polite and cordial manner to avoid being taken for granted.
Don’t forget to turn on your mojo! It helps to have a good rapport with the seniors to avoid overworking. In my case, it definitely helped me neutralize hefty college assignments due to my previous disciplinary track record.
While there is no specific rulebook to this, these methods are totally safe to apply and vouched by Liz Ryan who is the founder and CEO, Human Workplace; author of Reinvention Roadmap; Righteous Recruiting; Red-Blooded Hr.
When are you taking the stand to defend and protect the gift of good health?