Work from home works

We all went through massive changes these past two years. For some, they were utterly life-changing. For others, small changes here and there eventually made the flow of their life different from what it was before. Whether we wanted it to or not, COVID-19 impacted everyone. Even those that thought they were well-cushioned during the pandemic.

And it’s not just the physical and socialization aspect of life that changed. It went deeper than that. As people were forced indoors, and some in isolation, for so long, minds began to change too. Suddenly, everything that seemed so crucial before began to be expendable. People went back to their roots and started redefining priorities.

Now that we are slowly returning to some version of life as we knew it, those changes will impact the way the world works. People aren’t the same as they were two years ago, and the sooner we understand that and recognize it, the sooner we can create a better world for everyone.

One of the most important aspects we have to address is how we work and live. It can’t be expected that things just return to exactly how they were before the pandemic hit. After all, the way we lived before is part of how COVID-19 got so bad so fast. Clustered together in big groups made the virus spread quickly. We need to be open to doing things differently if we want different results in the future.

One thing we can focus on is the necessity of how often we go out and do things. I’ve spoken about this before, but it bears repeating. Work from home is not just a temporary solution to a problem we faced; it was a cultural reset. Remote work was already being done in tech-savvy companies, and the pandemic just proved that it is indeed a viable business solution.

However, now the government is forcing workers back to the office, not because they need to be there for productivity’s sake, but more to help local property companies impacted by the lockdowns. Real estate taxes and other taxes government collects from companies have to be made back somehow. The government is hoping to get things back to the way they were before to cover their losses.

This is the prevalent thinking of forcing 100 percent return to work when the real motivating factor should be what is best for everyone – businesses, the government, and the people. Especially the people. There is absolute merit in working at the office. Physical interaction is part of teambuilding and ideation. However, this does not need to happen every day.

If you look back at companies during the lockdown, especially the most significant contributors in the country – BPOs, while they initially suffered losses on shaky COVID-19 ground, in the end they retooled and even grew. Several major BPOs earned profits and even had to hire more staff for new clients gained during the lockdown. Another indicator that work from home actually works.

Workers actually enjoyed the added bonus of not having to commute daily and spend so much of their already tight salaries on things other than the essentials they need for their homes and families. This granted them the freedom to determine their own work-life balance and added buy-in to being responsible for their own productivity.

That’s not to say they don’t want to return to the office. Many workers were already pleased with the thought of a hybrid work system. The best of both worlds allowed them either three to two or four to one workweeks where they could come into the office on some days and work from home on others. This gave them everything – the social interaction for team building and the freedom to be flexible schedule-wise, even if it’s just one to two days a week.

However, this hybrid work idea doesn’t look like it will happen for many BPO workers and workers from other major companies that have been instructed to return to the office. To be fair, this doesn’t seem to be the idea of company management, but more to avoid penalties and taxes the government will levy if they don’t have a complete back-to-office workforce.

It’s unfortunate that the property industry lost so much during the pandemic – in terms of office spaces and tenants (many international tenants returned home during COVID-19 and companies like POGO and gaming companies). And with other companies downsizing office space, I understand it is a legitimate concern. However, the solution should be found by being proactive instead of just rushing back to old ways.

Currently, BPOs are seeing workers return in droves, and time will tell what type of an impact this will have on their business. One problem that is already being highlighted is attrition. Some exceptionally skilled workers no longer want to return to the office and instead are looking elsewhere for more flexible work arrangements. This means the loss of experienced staff and the challenge of replacing them.

People are really looking for companies to meet them halfway this time. After everything we have all been through, we really do need to work together to find ways to make life better for everyone instead of refusing to accept the changes and rushing ahead full force.

As one of the biggest drivers of income and job generation, the government needs to be more proactive in working with BPOs to create the best business and work solutions for their companies and employees. This isn’t just for BPOs, but for companies in general. With the rising cost of everything and salaries remaining the same, concessions must be made. Let’s build a new normal with everyone’s best interests in mind.