On Social Distancing …

The working life is changing before our eyes. There is a new phrase in the air nowadays – social distancing. I don’t know yet whether it’s a good or bad thing, but it has a direct effect on how many of us work. Even before the virus happened, over the last few years, the idea of work from home became more acceptable even among the most conservative firms.

I understand that depending on the nature of the job, not everyone can work from home. So, my observations are a bit biased to the jobs that suitable for the remote work.

Work from home has a lot of benefits and a handful of challenges. Yes, you may cut an hour of morning time since you don’t need to commute, but it may translate into staying late longer at night, wasting time in front of a TV or computer. The early dinner with family suddenly looks possible, but you may not feel as productive working from home with all the distractions from the rest of your family. It may seem at a beginning that you are doing more when wasteful meetings and coworkers are gone, but later you may realize how lonely you feel during a workday. If you are new to the “telework” (or start having more of it), you may go through some adjustments. I think that on the other side of this crisis, we come out with the larger expansion and wider acceptance of the remote work.

But there is more to the expansion of telework options. When you start working from home, who is to say that you couldn’t work more than one job? And that is a great boost to the “gig economy” that was brought into the spotlight by Uber, Airbnb and such. I see it happening now. The freelancers, consultants, moonlighters – however you call the people who do a side hustle – have less stigma nowadays and more accepted by even larger companies. And rightfully so, as it generally benefits both sides. For the company, it’s often cheaper and more efficient. For the hustler, it gives a benefit of being more in control of what you do and when you do it. Which translates into more freedom and authority. It’s a good thing. And job security? You may have more of it when you are on several small gigs rather than with one large employer.

Whatever the future holds, I am excited to see changes. In the meantime, wishing everyone to stay safe!