Online or onsite: perspectives from employes and employers

Abstract

The meaning of the word ‘normal’ changed drastically when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Life as we knew it was threatened by the virus and most of us had to adapt to the ‘new normal’ where social distancing, washing hands over and over again, masks, and working from home became the norm. All over the world, schools, universities, offices and workplaces were physically shut down only to be restarted over Zoom. India is one of the largest countries in the world, in terms of population as well as size. The Indian economy is based largely on agricultural and manufacturing practices. Both of these industries require onsite work, and hence, these were severely affected by the lockdown. Other industries like Information Technology, Marketing, Banking and Finance, etc. were affected, too, but they were quick to shift to the online mode of work. Shifting from office to Work From Home (WFH) was a totally new concept for employees who were required to adjust but it was also seen as an opportunity to relax and take a break. While WFH or Offsite work was primarily implemented as a solution to reduce contact and subsequent spread of the virus, more pros of the arrangement soon came into view. Companies began realizing that they were saving money on food, infrastructure, electricity, and such while the employees began realizing that they were saving commute time and money, having more time to spend with their families, and so on. But this was not supposed to be permanent, and soon onsite work restarted. Yet, some companies choose to work in online mode, or at least in hybrid mode. One would expect this back and forth transition between the working environments to affect the individuals in some way, primarily causing stress, imbalance in their interpersonal relationships, affecting work performance, and decreasing productivity.