Work from Home - The new normal    By Vikram Singh

Unprecedented times ask for unprecedented measures !! Many such measures and changes were enforced on our “way of life” due to COVID 19 crisis.

One such major change also for us Magmaites was WFH or "Work From Home". WFH became the new normal for us over the course of time, however this transmission has not been easy to many of us.

Once it was declared critical to put restrictions on physical movements to contain the spread of deadly virus - technology came to our rescue. This has been to ensure continuity of 'Work' even if it happens from the “safe” corners of our 'Homes'.

The vivid transition in our work lives -

1. To start with, it has evidently erased the physical boundaries of Home and Office

2. Those grapevine discussions over a 'Chai’ break' sound like a thing of past

3. Zoom has virtually intruded in to the Meeting spaces across all offices. One age-old proverb calling 'Man': a social animal, sounds meaningful and valuable now.

4. The very definition of “office time” has erased and one cannot see official and personal time differently as the office settings sometime tries to evade the personal or leisure settings. Perhaps, a reason, why Psychologists believe that separation from office-space would certainly have a toll on mental wellbeing of most of the people.

5. However, there are reasons to smile too. For, people are able to save a lot of travel-time - eventually adding to their overall productivity and happiness. They are able to give more time and attention to their loved ones as well. Almost everyone is trying their hands at long lost talents and hobbies - that is again adding to their mental wellbeing and creativity.

6. We were able to connect with our family members more and it has opened various possibilities in our relationships. This has definitely added immense value in our personal lives

At the end of the day, what we can look forward to is to have more disciplined and balanced approach to deal with these challenges and opportunities posed by our newly adopted WFH practices, and we can hope to get the better of this deadly virus soon enough, so as not to miss out on our beloved office tea breaks any longer !!