After two years, companies appear on the verge of welcoming their workforces back to the office, whether their employees are ready or not. But before that, the tech giants have to decide which model will be preferred for working in the future.
Future model
With the number of COVID cases gradually declining, companies have begun encouraging staff to return to the office, some regularly and others for a fixed number of days.
Although it is not clear yet which model will be the best way of working in the future- work from the office, work from home, or a hybrid model?
As offices open in a phased manner, people are having mixed reactions regarding returning to the office and meeting colleagues after two long years. Some are keen to work five days in the office, while some are happy with WFH given the hassles of commuting and the downtime wasted in traffic jams.
Preferring a hybrid model
Few companies are inclined on having a hybrid model wherein they will go to workplaces for two to three days a week and will work from home for the rest of the week. Some also suggest including commutation time in their shift hours.
“It takes 3 hours from home and the office. As much as I don’t get tired while working, the travel takes a beat on my health,” said Vineet, who is working at an auto manufacturing company.
But Vineet agrees that work from home isn’t all good either. “While working from the office, you are more focused and there is a committed workplace and shift hours. You get time for yourself and your family, which is not the case with work from home. Even though I’m working in a hybrid model, my job has become full-time at home,” he added.
Adding to Vineet’s opinion, another techie, Saurabh Ghadke, vows to a hybrid model. Ever since he has joined the organization, he has been working from home. “I am excited to meet my colleagues, a new experience… first day in a new office. But it is two-hour-long travel. Work from home has become a habit now,” he said.
Saurabh also tells that the work is smoother and seamless when in the office as there is clear contact. “It is easier to reach out to multiple stakeholders and the work does not get delayed either.”
Office after two years
There are a few who also believe that going to the office is a break from the routine of working from home. “Office, for me, sensed new as it was almost after two years that we were going back to the workplace. The place looked and felt different with a lot of new faces and changes. For most IT employees like me, working from home has been all about comfort and work went smoothly as well. So, for me, it is more of breaking the routine that I got used to while working from home,” says Gaurav Gurudas Pandit, Senior Executive Technical Support at Infibeam Avenues.
While people are excited to return to the office and break from the habit of working from home, commutation is a barrier for most of them. Spending hours in the traffic in the beating heat when there is a tested alternative makes less sense. While some companies want to fully return to their pre-pandemic office arrangement, others are open to the idea of working from anywhere. Some people, on the other hand, want the best of both worlds – a hybrid model.
