WILL WORKING FROM HOME PREVAIL IN POST-PANDEMIC LIFE?

As the pandemic hit a little more than a year ago and everyone went into lockdown, many companies had to adapt to new ways of working. Technology became an imperative part of work, as well as new norms of communication like Zoom meetings, and the once-dreaded emails became the usual in everyday work life.

Now that the pandemic seems to be reaching an end (fingers crossed), many millennials are wondering if the working-from-home model will prevail as things go back to a sense of normalcy.

Working from home mainly relied on technology—something that millennials as well as Gen-Zers are well acquainted with. Despite the familiarity, many millennials have suffered with the working-from-home model.

A survey conducted by software company Egress showed that 66 percent of millennials and Gen-Zers felt tired and burned out compared to 34 percent of Boomer and Gen-X workers. One of the reasons is because half of those young people surveyed shared a work space with other people.

Another reason why millennials might not be too eager to keep the working-from-home model is because of outdated or inefficient technology or programs used to work remotely. Many young people actually left their job if faulty technology frustrated them or made working a hassle.

Additionally, working from home also had some social drawbacks. Adobe Workfront’s 2021 State of Work report showed that young workers suffered socially because they didn’t get a chance to continue building their professional networks and might have missed “nuances of corporate culture.”

An article by Forbes also stated that working from home stifled creativity and problem-solving skills due to the lack of in-person office interactions. 

Still, working from home did bring about something that seemed unattainable but highly requested: flexibility. Millennials have always been about work-life balance and working from home might be the key to this. Many companies are now adopting hybrid models where employees work remotely as well as in the office, and it seems like this type of work structure creates greater productivity, organization and prosperity, according to Forbes.

Before the pandemic, working from home seemed an impossible feat for any business, but if there’s anything positive that the pandemic has given us it’s the flexibility and possibility of working from home in the future.