When the novel Coronavirus exploded in February-March this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced one of the strictest lockdowns on the largest population of the world. Overnight, millions of people were asked to work from home (WFH) and this was perhaps the biggest change in workplace since the Industrial Revolution.
WFH became one solution to reduce costs for organisations and keep afloat rather than shut down entirely. Organisations invested in technologies like virtual desktop infrastructure and virtual private networks (VPNs) which enabled employees to work on their devices from home.
WFH – a boon?: However, it soon became apparent that while WFH had many advantages, it also presented its own set of challenges. Many companies expected that since employees are WFH and not travelling or going out, more work will get done. However, for most households, lockdown also meant that their hired house help was not available. Home chores piled on top of office work adding to the working professional’s burden.
Parents of young kids were left without the support of school or day care centres. The situation was worse for women workers especially, as the burden falls disproportionately on them. As lines between personal and professional space blurred not just around the employee but also in their mind, with stress and anxiety levels shooting up. Within a week of the lockdown, the number of reported cases of mental illness in India rose by 20 per cent, as shown in a study by the Indian Psychiatry Society.
To be perfectly clear, not being able to go to office doesn’t mean losing the physical space but the psychological space where you connect with another human being. Social interaction correlates largely with workplace engagement and lack of meaningful work relations has a negative impact on employee retention, satisfaction, and productivity. Isolation hinders formation of trust, connection, and mutual purpose.
As the lockdown continued, consumer demand remained muted and there was an overall downward trend in consumption patterns. Many professionals were faced with a financial crunch – they were asked to take pay cuts as companies tried to cut costs.
