Letter to the World Working from Home
Dear Comrade,
I hope you have a few minutes to spare from your busy schedule to read this letter I wrote for you, and relate with my words. I am afraid this may not make you feel better or more confident, but this might just articulate out the constant discomfort or work pressure that you have been feeling lately.
There’s a thin line between purpose and pressure. It’s called job. For some of us, it’s the very thing keeping us sane by tethering our restless souls to our devices and pay checks. For the rest, duty is the very thing that is pushing them to the brink of insanity.
When work from home just started, just like you, I was also excited. I was sure of better productivity and more time with family and myself. I was so sure of this that I set up a ‘work station’ with naive enthusiasm. I imagined sessions with a coffee in one hand and taking notes with the other, sitting at the window. I was looking forward to not having to get dressed, not having to travel and not worrying about some of my expenses.
Fast forward 3 months, I somehow seem over-worked and lazy at the same time while being in a state of perennial fatigue. It is business as usual while I sit with my eyes glued to the screen and bottom glued to the chair for anywhere between 6–12 hours a day. Sometimes, the chair groans as a reminder for me to get up and move around and of course, to keep my kilos in control.
Alas! Work is now eating into meal times and creeping into the cozy space under the blanket.
Did you notice?
Remotely connecting for work is the opposite of going to remote places to disconnect. In the latter, you go to an unfamiliar place to get peace, and feel at ease, while in the former, you might feel anxious in your most safe haven, your natural habitat. That thought is scary. Am I now stressed out in my pajamas?
If you have adjusted well already, Congratulations! If you haven’t figured out how to make work from home, work for you, don’t fret. You are not alone. This is a larger emotion that you and I connect with the rest of the brethren. Not to worry, working from home is not a great way to foster creativity. It is not impossible, but more ideas were created by bunch of people in a conference room rather than a bunch of people on a conference call.
Why, you ask me?
In a limited time, a number of people are competing for the audio bandwidth and the loudest voices are heard the easiest. This feels less like a corporate brainstorming session, more like the 9pm news debate with Arnab Goswami. In the end, everyone is just glad it is over.
Emails communications are even worse. There are emails that we ponder over longer than any philosopher searching for life’s meaning, making sure there are adequate ‘please’, ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’ laced in. On the other hand, there are one line replies masquerading as emails, bouncing off from one sender to another till the trail is as long as the list of Vijay Mallya’s offences.
How do these small things affect us though?
A Harvard study found that senders of after-works emails underestimate how compelled receivers feel to immediately respond, even when the email is not urgent. In another study conducted recently by an NGO in Bangalore, 55% people claimed to have longer working hours and increased workload, therefore resulting in increased stress. About a similar percentage of people noticed a dip in their ‘me’ time. As if I need statistics to tell me that I am worn out. One look in the mirror is enough. I look like a zombie, on my better days. I am glad my team does not do zoom meetings.
Don’t get me wrong. No doubt, excellence is an attitude. But remember the thing I told you at the beginning, about purpose and pressure. Is there a constant unnecessary din at the back of your head reminding you of the pending or upcoming work and unanswered emails, fueling your anxiety? Do you find yourself thinking about work in the middle of spending time with family, or while guiltily watching that movie you always wanted to do, or even before you sleep? There is a chance that you are burning out and only you can stop it before your anxiety roasts you completely.
It might seem important to be ‘Available’ every minute to prove your commitment. But you need to learn to shush the din or rather ignore it, now more than ever, just like you skip the ads in Youtube without feeling sorry for the advertiser. Or you can create the vaccine for Covid and end the pandemic. Hallelujah!
Nevertheless, while the WFH situation continues, let us try to make the best of the small things we can still have. You can wake up right before that 9am call, go for hours staring at the wall, work with loud music, eat and drink whenever you please, and literally pull the plug on the internet when it all becomes overwhelming. Job is job, irrespective of whether you work in an office or from a cave, it is up to you to draw the boundaries. You and I are in it, for the long haul. So soldier, sharpen your sword, tighten your armour and be prepared for the mental battle. Victory to thee!
Sincerely,
Fellow WFHer