If you had told me three years ago that I would now be mostly working from home, I would not have believed you, and yet it became, at least temporarily, the daily reality for vast numbers of people including myself; what had seemed in the past like an unattainable vision of the future, became an all too real enforced reality, with all its incumbent unforeseen difficulties.
‘Wouldn’t it be great if…’ was how many of us used to think about home-working; that soon changed to ‘How on earth are we supposed to…’ when the harsh reality of having no choice but to get on with it hit home. The initial novelty of not having to commute was quickly dissolved away by the frustration of trying to conduct business meetings in homes full of distraction; where children who were not able to be in school were trying their best to make sense of a confusing set of circumstances, many without the facilities needed for remote learning even when it would become available. This was NOT how many of us had imagined it would be.
But from the midst of all this chaos, a new stability steadily arose as we learned to cope with the strangeness and unfamiliarity of the situation; technology rapidly caught up with our new requirements, filling piece-by-piece many of the frustrating gaps we hadn’t even imagined existed only months earlier.
Of course, for many it was just not possible to continue working away from the workplace, and the return to former normality could not come quick enough; but for others, a potentially sustainable new future opened up, free from the daily grind of commuting, with all the extra time that delivered to be used how we wished once restrictions were lifted.
Micro-managers who used to think that their staff would not do a scrap of work without someone standing over them, had come to realise that most of the people who were fortunate enough to be able to do their job at home were also sufficiently focused and determined to make it work in order to protect their livelihoods, where many were not so lucky. More affirmative leaders, who had always trusted in the ability of their staff to rise to a challenge, felt comfortably reinforced and reassured in their confidence.
The pandemic, of course posed far more fundamental challenges to our collective sanity, but the issue of how and where to work was a not-insignificant hurdle to overcome, with repercussions that will be felt for generations; but with an open mind and a willingness to embrace change and adapt where required, our resilience in the face of adversity can be astounding. And we must never underestimate the bravery of all the key-workers (my wife amongst them) whose selflessness kept the lights on and kept us safe through the ever-present dangers.
For many, the return to the workplace has restored a much longed-for sense of familiarity and stability, but for others a new paradigm has emerged, enabling a bold new future. I still enjoy my trips to the office when I need to make them, welcoming the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with my colleagues, but I am every bit as productive from my home office on all those other days, and my dogs are thrilled by that!