The pandemic has put into perspective how efficient working from home can be. Therefore, given the rather dangerous circumstances of stepping out during COVID-19, many companies have chosen to given their employees the opportunity to work from home till the foreseeable future.
This includes Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Amazon and Google, amongst others. In addition to this, Google has gone one step ahead and decided to reimburse employees $1,000 or the equivalent currency of their country, for office expenses.
These office expenses include furniture and anything else they need, to set up a healthy and productive working space for themselves, at home. The company wants to help their employees maintain the comfortable environment they experiences at work. And this is exactly why Indian companies need to take a page out of their book.
‘When I am in this space I am focused on my work and I am focused on these things, and when I step away from this space I am able to detach from work, I am able to connect with my family, my friends, my pets, the people in my community outside of this work box’ is really important.
-Lauren Whitt, wellness and resilience lead, Google told CNN
The idea behind Google’s decision is to give their employees a space where they feel productive, and can leave behind once they are done with work. The line between personal and professional life has become increasingly blurry since the lockdown has begun. And setting up a separate workspace will help employees compartmentalise their work and home life.
Apart from this, there is also the question of health. These reimbursements make sure that the employees invest in comfortable chairs, eye-level monitors and don’t suffer from the side effects of working in uncomfortable environments. Just because they are working from home doesn’t mean they need to be working from their bed.
If nothing else, most start-ups and Indian companies can look into reimbursing the internet and phone expenses of their employees who are working from home. Because it doesn’t look like the concept of working from home is short term, and so companies can begin working towards making their employees comfortable during the pandemic.
These reimbursements will ensure a smooth transition for employees, making sure that this ‘new normal’ doesn’t take a toll on their mental and physical health.
