Introduction:
In today’s time, WFH has become the new workplace normal. People tend to work comfortably from the space of their homes, it saves time and traveling expenses. Many people think that working from home helps them focus more on the work at hand makes them more efficient. But for women employees, it may not be the same story. In this article, we’ll try to have a look at how WFH is bringing flexibility as well as new challenges in women’s work experience.
Working from home, more like working for home:
Women have always been looked at as someone who will look after the home and family. Even in modern days, where women are contributing in the work environment equal to men, they are also expected to cook, feed, and clean at home, all by themselves. This gets even more home-centric when women work remotely. Work from home is provided so that the employee can do the office work at ease without the hassle of moving. But some women have to use up this saved travel time to look after the home than taking enough rest and starting work afresh.
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Women have been seen to be navigating through this by doing house chores during the break time from work or taking care of children while simultaneously working on laptop. This may not be termed much as navigating but more like passing through. With a family that supports and understands the woman when it comes to office work, who take up on home responsibilities during her work hours the work-home balance in remote work gets easier.
Blurred line between office work and clock-out time:
Many employees who do WFh share that sometimes they have to work past their working hours in their remote jobs. This is especially challenging for women, as they not only face physical exhaustion from working long hours but also have to balance these extended working hours with their responsibilities at home. These issues come from unrealistic work pressure and the family’s expectations of a woman that only she has to look after the house. It is important to understand that a non-toxic work environment and understanding family members are essential for women to contribute more efficiently in their remote jobs.
Image credits: Freepik
Bias towards women employees working from home:
Women at times face the issues of not being appreciated enough or not being given credit for their work or being overlooked for promotions simply because they are women. This may become further challenging in a remote work scenario where some companies may not give better opportunities to female employees working remotely under the presumption that they may not be able to take up more responsibilities due to their family life. Women that work from home may not be much serious towards their job is a non realistic assumption that could stump their growth. Many women that aspire to have a flourished career in their respective field, thus, have to constantly prove their worth, sometimes even by working extra hard and losing on life beyond work.
Lack of interaction with coworkers:
A work-from-home job gives little to no opportunity to get into real conversations with co-workers or to feel the team-bonding. Some employees for whom physical team interaction is a driving factor for greater productivity may suffer in this condition. As a woman who does her job remotely and loves to share thoughts and ideas and interact with her coworkers, I sometimes feel bad for losing out on an opportunity to actually work with a team. The solution that I have come up with to deal with this is by scheduling meeting calls with colleagues to discuss ideas and sometimes only to take the steam off. My co-workers and I also try working on a task while also being joined on a virtual meeting. It makes the work interactive with more clarity and less errors.
Image credits: Freepik
Feeling of being left behind:
A work from home job where your home is your office and your laptop is your best friend, seeing other people actually do in-office jobs may instill a fear that we are running far behind the world. Also, how people show no significance to work from home, especially in case of women, further reduces the confidence. In such a case, appreciation from the boss or a project output that comes from outstanding teamwork does make one feel good about what they are doing.
Women have always tried to create their own aura, impression whenever they tried to establish something good. Society has mocked them for joining workforce, judged them for leaving their home and the same society also reduced the value of their hardwork to nothing - at home as well as at workplace. Women have stood against the odds and have made successful careers out of challenging jobs. The job world has always been challenging and the work from home is yet another aspect of the working world that gained importance and became a necessity in the time of Covid. Some companies still offer it and employees still work through it. Sometimes it is beneficial for both the parties, sometimes it isn’t. Many women have opted for remote jobs because they also have a family to look after or are not ready to move to a different location for a job. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll prioritize their home over the job. The fact that employees are more productive at working remotely, paired with their progress report should be the evaluating factor for their career growth. Their gender should not decide their ability or inability to perform their job right from home. Women have always found their way around challenges be it at work place or any other walk of life, they would also move ahead from the bias, criticism and mockery that may come with a remote job with a good quality of work, but the people that employ them should also put their trust in their ability to do their job.
