I have always been the type of person who actually enjoys working from home, as I have also been blessed with the type of job that would allow me to do so... I mean my Digital job; not so much the Fitness aspect - I will get to that a little bit later in this post.
#WFH Life
Before COVID-19; I did find that unless you were considered a specific "remote worker" that #WFH could be met with some suspicion from colleagues. This shouldn't be considered as too much of a surprise when thinking about human psychology; out of sight out of mind correct? Like how do I know that you aren't just napping when you should be working on a report? Naps, albeit short ones, are great mid-day for productivity, but I digress :)
Working from home, at least from my perspective, has some great benefits:
- Increased focus; no distractions from the office
- No commute time!
- Comfy clothing unless you have video meetings that require you to look presentable
- Save money on lunches out
- In my case I feel like I have increased output; this can depend if you are properly set up
However, there are some negatives as well:
- Can feel like you are working ALL THE TIME (home = work)
- Effectiveness of some meetings can be hampered by doing them virtually
- There is a need to over communicate at times because we do not have the luxury of non-verbal communication unless you are on video
- Technology limitations: VPN access, external monitors, connectivity and network issues
The impact of the coronavirus on Working from Home
I think, unfortunately, that being forced to work remotely has caused increased anxiety about it since many of the negatives from working from home simply become exasperated. Working from home ALL THE TIME is much more of a reality since... because we cannot leave out homes, it can be hard to compartmentalize life - and also additionally; in some cases, there is literally nothing else to do.
However, I do believe that there is a positive to this. The forced reality of everyone working from home and socially distancing is proving to companies that it can be done. Potentially, this may change the landscape of how business is conducted and how Working from Home is perceived.
There will be no true way to determine the impact unless after this is all over, but I think that this pandemic situation will cause many industries to adapt - or die.
The Fitness Industry
Fitness and being a personal trainer and fitness leader has been such a part of my identity over the last decade. I truly empathize with those who do not have the ability to work from home as many jobs do depend on being there IRL (in real life). I myself have also personal trained and coached people online, but this is a little bit of a different dynamic as NO one has access to a gym... as such the ability to program and provide plans is limited to the equipment that a client owns in their own home.
The good news is that I have seen so many fitness professionals using this time to push them to adapt and adopt digitization of their business; which when we move past this will only make their business stronger.
What are your thoughts on working from home?
Driving people nuts by staying home the anxiety is creeping up!