Work from home - Work from home essay - Tài liệu tham khảo | Đại học Hoa Sen

3. Introduction
In the present age, the world has witnessed and continues to confront a once-in-a-
lifetime calamity which is the Covid19 pandemic. It has caused significant mortality
and infections among people of practically all nationalities, as well as devastation in
every sector of life, including business. It makes people rethink a wide range of
behaviors, from work to entertainment, to fundamental travel and daily tasks. Not
only has an independent effect, but it has also had an economic impact on countries
as a whole, bringing a variety of economic sectors to a complete halt.
In the absence of vaccination to totally clear the virus, the extremely contagious
nature of the Covid-19 infection, along with the WHO's tight guidelines, governments
were forced to take action. As the coronavirus spreads over the world, many
governments have enforced and re-imposed tight lockdowns that include the closing
of non-essential enterprises and the prohibition of non-essential meetings to prevent
the spread of the infection to save as many lives as possible. Due to the limitations
on movement and the need to ensure a safe physical distance between people to
prevent the virus from spreading, businesses were closed during the lockdown and
will remain closed until the infection has been eradicated. Almost every organization
is taken off guard when confronted with this unprecedented issue. Many employers
are looking into Work From Home (WFH) as a possible replacement for current work
arrangements in the near future. 4. Main Contents (6 marks)
4.1. What is “Work from home”? (0.5 marks) link thứ 2
Until the COVID-19 pandemic, the forecasts of widespread remote work had not
actually happened. The unexpected Covid-19 problem has meant that everyone,
including employers or employees, has some form of understanding about WFH.
Nonetheless, each perspective of them varies greatly. There is also no clarification
among academics on the precise meaning of WFH. Although WFH and Telework are
frequently used interchangeably, the two terms have some intrinsic differences. WFH
can be understood as the set of Telework because telework encompasses both work
done from home and work done while traveling. WFH is a form of task organization
that may be considered as work that can be done from home that allows employees
to access their labor activities via the use of digital technologies (Nilles, 1997; Perez
et al., 2003). It could be for a short time or for a long time as an alternative to the conventional style of working.
Working from home is not really a new concept, despite the fact that it is currently
popular. The workplace is a dynamic environment that is always changing. However,
there are some epoch periods that change the labor process and cause a massive
change in how work was done previously. Most people worked from home before the
Industrial Revolution, in agriculture, as skilled artisans, or as household managers.
For example, India is famous for handicrafts, stone jewelry, marble carvings, spice
manufacture and etc were all family businesses that worked well in their own house
The advent of the manufacturing system, followed by the rise of the office, ushered
in the revolutionary movement to the central workplace. This occurrence has
happened for almost 200 years, and the tradition has continued. It was reinforced by
significant reductions in the cost of getting people from home to work and back by
bicycle, train, tram, automobile, and bus.
After the development and widespread usage of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT), another pivotal moment occurred in the field of labor. ICT enabled
a reversal of the movement that had originated during the Industrial Revolution, with
people once again turning to their homes for work.
4.2. Why do organizations “WFH”? (0.5 marks)
Even before many organizations were compelled to implement WFH in an
unprepared approach, others had some previous knowledge. However, they were
primarily considered as a privilege and were given under proper circumstances to
employees whose job obligations were suited for such an arrangement, rather than
as a right or entitlement to the employee. In 2020, however, WFH will be regarded as
an unavoidable working trend that organizations must follow.
Managers frequently raise concerns about the efficiency and productivity of
employees who work from home. However, according to surveys, employees
working under the WFH model can bring positive work efficiency. Specifically: -
Employees who work from home spend 1.4 times much more time at work
than those who work in an office. WFH adds 17 days to the year as estimated over time. -
WFH employees have on average 22 minutes longer breaks than employees
who work at the office. However, they can work overtime for about 10 minutes every day. -
15% of employees who work from home believe that their bosses are a
distraction at work. This percentage is 22% for office workers.
Employees and organizations equally gain from the implementation of the WFH
method. There are several specific advantages, such as: 1. Cost-savings -
The first and most obvious benefit of working from home for organizations is
cost savings. Working from home allows businesses to save money on space,
equipment, and other expenses that would otherwise be incurred if employees
came to the office to work. According to Dell's 2019 report, the firm saved
around $12 million by using the Work From Home concept. When employees
work from home, firms save money on things like electricity, water, and fuel allowances. -
Employees who work from home save the maximum money compared to
those who work in an office. Working from home, in particular, means saving
money on transportation, commuting to the office, and not having to pay for
things like gas, parking fees, train tickets, and so on. Additionally, working
inside the house saves money on things like costumes and, for female employees, makeup items.
2. Improve work productivity and reduce work stress -
On a 10-point scale, remote workers scored 7.7 points compared to 6.5 points
for in-office employees in a work productivity study. The primary reasons why
WFH helps to optimize working time and boost employee productivity, according to this study, are:
● Employees who work from home are under less pressure than those who
work in an office. They don't have to travel long distances to get to work, so
they're more comfortable, which helps them finish jobs faster and more effectively.
● WFH allows employees to dress comfortably, and time lost due to clothes or
make-up decisions is removed. Employees will have more time to focus on
their work as a result of this.
● The sounds of their surroundings, coworkers, bosses, or the phone ringing do
not bother employees working remotely. This puts people in the best mood
possible, allowing them to concentrate on their work.
3. Diversify the company's human resources -
Businesses benefit from WFH's varied and skilled human resources. In fact,
many great people are unable to work directly in the workplace for a variety of reasons. -
With the WFH working form, businesses can choose from a wide range of
human resources with a variety of geographic conditioning. Many employees,
for example, live in faraway areas of the company, yet they can still work through WFH.
4. Employee safety is guaranteed. -
One of WFH's other significant advantages is the enterprise's employee
safety. Businesses can reduce the risks to their employees by allowing staff to
work from home. Using work from home to keep the public safe, comply with
state legislation, and respond to the global anti-epidemic spirit is especially
important during the ongoing pandemic.
WFH is the modern economy's working trend of the future. WFH will be used by
many enterprises around the world in general, and Vietnam in particular, at this time
and in the future, because of its various potential advantages.
4.3. Analysis (3 marks) (- Any good side?- Any problem?) link thứ 2
Before the outbreak of the coronavirus, there were several companies that applied for the
work from home into a reality. For example, according to Forbes, there are several
companies belonging to the industry of finance, education, IT, sales, and marketing that have
offered flexible and telecommuting jobs.
While the employee may consider it not to be fine because a remote job is not suitable for
task arrangement, WFH still brings advantages for certain employees and employers in the job market.
(Perez et al., 2003; Buciuniene et al, 20o1).
There are several advantages of WFH that will list below:
Firstly, employers are beneficial from working from home: -
It boosts productivity compared to the conventional way of working. -
The average turnover rate is also reduced significantly rather to the traditional offline
job. (Fonner and Roloff, 2010; Golden and Veiga, 2008; Bloom et al 2014) -
The payment of organizing the business is saved (Choudhury et al., 2018) -
There are more job opportunities for talented people in the global arena without geographical barriers. -
In terms of natural-related issues such as pandemics, WFH ensures working stability
without the unexpecting interruption.
Secondly, there are also benefits for the employees: -
The time to travel to work is also saved. According to Numbeo, in the context of
Vietnam, the average time that a person spends commuting to work is nearly 2%
daily time. https://www.numbeo.com/traffi`c/country_result.jsp?country=Vietnam -
The means of transport and other additional spendings are also reduced -
Because of online jobs, people can flexibly change the place they work such as at
home, at a coffee shop, or even the library (Morgan, 2004). Therefore, they do not
have to work under pressure at the workplace. In addition, they can manage the
work-life balance properly and spend more time on family and social activities.
(Fonner and Roloff, 2010; Bloom et al 2014) -
The autonomy is also created more for people when it comes to working from home(Harpaz, 2002) -
Employees are more satisfied with the current job (Gurstein, 2001; Pratt, 1999) -
Because of the individual online work, people may not be distracted from their
fellows.(Golden and Veiga, 2008)
Amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus, working from home has now been an inevitable
trend that most employees have to deal with. Furthermore, it now increasingly becomes an
alternative way of doing business in the future compared to the previous remote jobs.
However, to make it a reality in a way that is more effective and productive, it would be
complicated for both employers and employees to put into practice. This part will include
several challenges of working from home:
Initially, there are certain disadvantages that employers and employers may face: -
In terms of privacy concerns, several jobs holding the private data of the companies
may be threatened with hackers and cyber security due to online interacting arrangements. -
Then, the task arrangement and the management of productivity would be hard for
employers to take complete control of while working online. Online work lacks face to
face interaction causing managers to not observe and direct fellow workers in the
team (Kurland & Bailey, 1999). As a result, companies have to recruit more
managing positions to control and ensure the smooth operation and performance of
work. This would lead to a new financial burden for the company in the long-term perspective. -
It í hard for the company to encourage employees to take the lead in creativity and
innovation in their tasks because due to the research by Bloom in 2013, direct
interaction may increase the motivation and commitment of work among workers. (Bloom et al, 2013) -
Sometimes the internet connection and blackouts can be easily interrupted which
causes the discontinuity in work. -
Because WFM is similar to individual isolation from society and the workplace
environment, certain people may feel under pressure and accelerated anxiety. -
People may find it difficult to balance their home-life and work at the same time during telecommuting work.
4.4 Recommendation (How to manage WFH well?) (2 marks) link thứ 1
Organizational/managerial recommendations
1. Improve communication of flexible working rules to all workers and ensure
that the advantages of employing them are included. Consider supporters
who have implemented the policies, such as fathers and top executives, to
allay fears that policy implementation would negatively influence careers.
2. Urge workers and managers to have open and honest talks about work-family
issues and encourage workers, particularly fathers, to seek flexible work
schedules to fulfill their duties as employees and parents effectively.
3. Consider innovative approaches to ensuring important performance outcomes
by rethinking work productivity and effectiveness as a team to guarantee that
people who work flexibly are not disadvantaged.
4. Evaluate with employees different approaches to changing cultural attitudes
about productivity, absences, flexible work arrangements, gender, and
empathy. A reverse mentorship program involving Millennials and members of
the board and Senior Management Team (SMT) might, for example, serve to
promote intergenerational understanding.
5. Consider ways to assist better workers who work from home or in other
flexible settings and the possibility for unintended outcomes such as
overworking, blurring of lines, stress, loneliness, and burnout.
6. Ensure that HR and line managers receive sufficient training on flexible
workplace rules, emphasizing the benefits of workplace flexibility as a performance-enhancing tool.
7. As a technique for boosting employee attractiveness and inclusiveness,
advertise all roles as open to flexible working (if possible).
8. Encourage fathers to take caring leave (Paternity, Shared Parental, Parental
Leave), as well as flexible working, including part-time employment and other
rules, when they return, to guarantee active participation in care/household responsibilities.
9. By assisting dads in overcoming financial constraints, you can encourage
them to take Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and prolonged Paternity Leave
(PL; i.e., more than two weeks PL). To coincide with the Maternity Leave
provision inside the company, consider upgrading or developing SPL and
improving or developing Paternity Leave. The group would aim to promote
gender equality at home, translating to increased gender equality at work.
10. Engage in Gender Pay Gap (GPG) reporting instructions from the
Government Equalities Office (GEO) to establish an action plan that includes
the organization's GPG reporting on resolving any existing GPG.
Now I will move on to the next part. This is
Policy suggestions for decision-makers Firstly,
1. Make more extensive rights for flexible working a day one obligation for all
workers, regardless of their length of employment. Secondly,
2. Encourage the premise that all positions, except those available for flexible
working by default, give publicly transparent (Gender Pay Reporting) and reasonable grounds. Thirdly,
3. Provide improved support and protection against discrimination for workers
who work flexibly, especially during emergencies like the Covid-19 outbreak,
to guarantee that workers who work flexibly or those who seek to work flexibly
do not encounter negative career consequences. Next is,
4. The policy should offer schools and other child care institutions more help to
guarantee that they can open securely. Then,
5. Develop a simple profit-to-work module to assist employees in returning to
work (rather than at home) following the COVID-19 lockdown (recognizing
that some may not be returning for some months). The critical business
benefits of flexible working are highlighted in this session. Moving on to,
6. Consider extending (beyond the statutory two weeks) earmarked well-paid
parental leave for men to help modify gender stereotypes about who is
responsible for child care and fulfill the requests of fathers who want to take
on a more significant role in child care and housekeeping. With regard to,
7. Consider including a section in gender pay gap reporting for companies with
250 or more employees that outlines workers' rights to flexible working, such
as making it a day one right, advertising all jobs as flexible, or a percentage of
jobs currently done flexibly, and other family-friendly policies (e.g., shared
parental leave, occupational pay). This would also assist firms in determining
their competitive position and encouraging change to increase talent retention
and recruitment. Workers and potential employees would have easy access to
flexible working arrangements in the future, allowing them to make educated
decisions without facing stigma or unconscious bias. Move on to,
8. Consider creating a return-to-work package for new parents as part of a
gender equality toolbox that highlights all of the legal rights new parents would
have, such as flexible working hours and parental leave, among other things.
This toolkit should be accessible and straightforward to use for companies without an HR department. And,
9. Develop and implement a campaign to encourage flexible working (especially
among dads), highlighting the benefits of doing so while also addressing the
perceived hurdles and repercussions. About,
10. Analyze how to assist firms in dealing with the effects of the COVID-19
lockout and long-term home working on employee well-being and mental health. In term of,
11. A complete gender study of the economic and labor market consequences of the
Covid-19 epidemic is required, and more resources to encourage women's labor
market participation, such as targeted funding for specific industries. Last but not least,
12. Determine what legislative and legal reforms are required to increase demand
for a 4-day workweek in the future.
5. Conclusion (0,5 mark) link thứ 2
I’d like to turn to the last part, this is the conclusion.
Covid-19's pandemic isn't going away soon, and the public health issue has already
caused economic downturns in nearly every country. However, just as every
economic quake leaves its imprint, Covid-19's financial jolt will undoubtedly do the
same. Massive WFH testing and learnings will be one of the things to keep an eye
on. When the dust of the pandemic settles, we may expect a similar type of
watershed shift, or at least commencement of substantial change, in the form of
WFH, comparable to how demonetization was disruptive and came out of nowhere
led to an increase in digital transactions. If successfully exploited, it will open up
many new opportunities for enterprises. According to a Deloitte report 13, India's
female labor force participation rate is only 26%, which is shockingly low compared
to other South Asian nations. In India, the unemployment rate14 among differently-
abled people is above 70%, extremely high. WFH gives businesses a one-of-a-kind
chance to make their workforce more inclusive by encouraging involvement from the underrepresented.
The cooperation of many stakeholders will primarily determine the success of WFH.
Employers must set clear goals and expectations for their personnel. They must also
develop appropriate policies to put them into action. The demand for automation,
collaboration tools, and cloud computing will rise due to the necessity for remote
working. It's critical to keep people engaged and excited about achieving this shared
future. This may require adjustments and alterations to recruiting techniques, reward
and recognition programs, engagement efforts, exit processes, and other processes.
Since the depth of talent in WFH will be enormously extensive, diversified, and highly
competitive, employees will have to be more aggressive than ever before to deliver
under this arrangement. Finally, the government must play the most critical role by
establishing WFH-friendly regulations and supporting infrastructure across the country.
Adopting a new work paradigm will need a great deal of flexibility and adjustment.
However, it is a well-known reality that individuals often oppose change since it
causes discomfort. On the other hand, successful companies and individuals are fast
to accept it. Finally, to quote Mark Sanborn, past president for the National Speakers
Association, US - “Your success in life is not based on your ability to change simply.
It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers, and business.”
That brings us to the end of our presentation. 1.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-social-
sciences/business/research/wirc/epp-working-from-home-COVID-19- lockdown.pdf#page32
2. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---
act_emp/documents/newsitem/wcms_755686.pdf