Geelong Advertiser

Coming to terms with home truths

- RACHEL SCHUTZE Rachel Schutze is a partner at Gordon Legal, wife and mother of three. [Ed’s note: Ms Schutze is married to Corio MP Richard Marles.]

COVID-19 has presented many challenges for business and its workforce. When COVID-19 hit, many businesses, particular­ly service providers, were required to work from home.

While many businesses in this category of the workforce had “work from home policies”, the number of staff who worked from home prior to COVID -19 was a very small proportion of that workforce. Of those who worked from home, many did so only a day or two a week.

I have worked from home for 20 years. Working a day or two a week from home has always been a part of how I work best. Working from home allows me to turn off the phone and sit cross legged at my kitchen table and spend several hours reviewing, strategica­lly managing and preparing complex personal injury legal matters for hearing. For me, the ability to think, uninterrup­ted and in a concentrat­ed manner about a client’s claim, has been to the benefit of my clients.

Working from home has also meant that when I am working in the office I am more available to staff, clients and colleagues. I have more time, clear head space and am more present.

Those who have worked from home have also experience­d the benefits of the flexibilit­y of the workday. If you are someone who works best in the early morning or late evening, you have more flexibilit­y about the structure of your day. For those who live in Geelong and commute to Melbourne to work, the other benefit of working from home is that you lose the commute and in doing so gain three-plus hours in your day.

There are also negatives in working from home.

You miss out on the day-to-day interactio­ns with colleagues that happen incidental­ly in the corridor, or before or after meetings start or finish. You may not be as connected socially or geographic­ally to the workplace, which means you are often not front of mind when work is being delegated and distribute­d.

Another difficulty in some work environmen­ts is that your contributi­on may be equated to your visibility in the office, rather than to the quality of your work product.

When working from home became the norm, no one was visible in the office corridor at 7am. Many, including decision makers, experience­d the benefits of working from home for the first time.

Friends who work part time or work part time from home and have felt disadvanta­ged or pigeonhole­d by their decision to work from home, suddenly felt empowered. They felt seen, even if via Zoom.

Many felt that the quality of their work finally meant more than their lack of visibility at Friday night drinks. It removed all of the negatives of working from home and created an even playing field.

One of my friends who has worked from home two days a week since her eldest child was born more than 15 years ago, gleefully reported recently that after several years of asking for a promotion she was finally being promoted. She attributes her promotion to a change in mindset about people working from home.

Nearly 12 months on, we are all now able to return to the office. It presents a whole new range of challenges for business. Some workers who had previously never worked from home, are interested in exploring the option to varying degrees with their employer. Business is trying to work out how best to work, noting there are still COVID-19 safety requiremen­ts and that COVID-19 has not been eliminated and we must be ever vigilant until it is.

Finding the balance between remaining COVID safe, accommodat­ing the needs of business to return to maximum productivi­ty at the earliest moment, and building our new knowledge about working from home into our new work world is a test for businesses everywhere. Many are fashioning work-fromhome policies for the first time. Some are relishing the flexibilit­y it gives their workforce and business. Others are frustrated.

The ramificati­ons of these decisions by business will have significan­t impact on how many customers the businesses based in our central business districts will have in the future. These decisions will impact the future of our work, the culture of the business and how it best functions.

The challenges faced by COVID-19 are immense and continuing. Hopefully this particular challenge presents an opportunit­y for positive change for business, their workforce and our cities.

MANY FELT THAT THE QUALITY OF THEIR WORK FINALLY MEANT MORE THAN THEIR LACK OF VISIBILITY AT FRIDAY NIGHT DRINKS. IT REMOVED ALL OF THE NEGATIVES OF WORKING FROM HOME AND CREATED AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD.

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