July 24, 2020
A week ago I decided I needed to challenge myself to find things to be grateful for in our new Covid work situation. I was hoping for 5. My goal was for these to be things that are good for all or most employers or employees and not something superficial like wearing joggers every day.
My fifth day has really stretched me. I’m not 100% sure this is true. I don’t know if bosses feel this way, but here’s what I hope Covid has done for employees.
I hope Covid has generated more trust in employees. In the 90s, I was able to negotiate a work from home situation for two days a week. My employer trusted me, but didn’t want everyone to ask for this situation. So, I had to not talk about it very openly. Now this employer has just about everyone working from home at least part of the time. They’ve come a long way.
But even just a few years ago, I worked with people who didn’t want to allow their team members to work from home. I understand that some jobs just won’t allow for that. If you are helping customers in a face-to-face manner, then that makes sense. But plenty of people have jobs that allow for some work from home.
With Covid, nearly every office situation has had to be reconsidered for work from home allowances. And, bosses have found out that, in fact, employees are doing their work. Not everyone is suited for this kind of work. Extroverts, for example, are just dying to see people live and in person. And, some jobs require checks and balances of in-person interaction. But, some jobs can work without everyone being in a physical space together every day. This might accommodate meeting a school bus, visiting a parent in a senior facility at lunch time, cost savings on car expenses, or just lower stress.
More importantly, this allows for bosses to realize that employees can be trusted.
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