The idea is quite simple; if you spend so much time at work, every weekday, then it has to be something you enjoy.
Recently, however, most people are having to grapple with the unfamiliar demands of a sudden transition to virtual work. This is new to them and they seem to e unprepared.
We interviewed a few people to share their experiences. We didn’t interview as many people as we’d like, but we interviewed just enough people to get the gist of the conversation.
For Bukunmi, a 25-year-old Social Media Manager, “Working from home, as fancy as it sounds, is not as easy as we have imagined it to be. The reality is quite different from what’s advertised.” she said. “It turns out that I still have to work as much and as hard as I’ve always worked.”, she added. She also stressed that it is especially demanding now that she has to get work done from an improvised workspace.
“I’ve had to deal with a new form of distraction – one I have never dealt with before as far as work is concerned – distractions at home. Family members, household responsibilities, calls, emails and the noise from my neighbour’s generator. These factors have taken a toll on my productivity.”, Chike, a UI/UX Designer, had said.
When we spoke to Babatunde, a Graphic Designer, he said he now has to spend an average of N5,000 weekly on data. Mary, another Graphic Designer, said she finds it hard to keep her PC cool and it drags her work significantly. She said she now appreciates the air conditioning unit at the office more.
Nafeesah, 27, says she just realized that she has no life outside of the office. The only fun thing about her life has been the people at work, and she misses that.
Toyosi, a Communications Lead, had griped about how much data she has had to use lately. Much more than that, however, he said the volume of work in his department had suddenly doubled and he now has to give up nights and weekends to deliver.
Most of our respondents had also complained about having to be online all the time and not being able to take breaks.
By and large, most people are not prepared for remote work, especially when it happened suddenly. And it turns out that it is not as fancy as it sounds.
Are these experiences similar to yours? What your story? How is it coming along?