When work-from-home (WFH) – remote working – began on 7 April in Singapore in tandem with the enforcement of circuit breaker, consensus was it is an extolled work arrangement.
But an increasing number of people have called for this paradisal work arrangement to be made optional – because believe it or not, there are downsides to working from home.
Let us have a look at what Singaporeans are saying about WFH in a thread titled ‘WFH actually increase productivity by alot more from my section result…’ on HardwareZone forum.
Elimination of travelling to and fro the office
One of the advantages of WFH is not needing to travel to work back and forth, which in turn saves a reasonable amount of time, energy, and money.
A user who goes by the name Chromesthlesia said that they prefer WFH because they feel “much more energised” having to avoid the rush hour congestion when travelling back and forth, adding that it also increases productivity and saves costs.
User Yunita19 expressed the same thought, noting that there is more leisure time when travelling to and fro the workplace is out of the picture. What’s more, they shared that “sales target also achieve while WFH” – which illustrates the point of efficiency of WFH.
Productivity levels skyrocket
Another user, kiryu86 – who happens to be the one who started this thread – shared an observation and discussion with their subordinates.
They noted that the output of WFH was threefold the amount of work done in the office.
The reason they gathered was that the time flexibility of WFH allowed them to adopt a working style and routine that best suited their productivity level and preference.
Users PiPiChew and N4E.SI echoed the similar sentiment.
Save money on expenses, and save energy on socialising
Another aspect that employees who are introverts – like user N4E.SI – appreciate is the minimised need to socialise.
After all, with the hustle and bustle of the central business district (CBD), stress is accumulative, and in the long-run, it is not sustainable to one’s health.
User item2sell was also in the same wavelength, as they wrote a list of pros and cons – with the pros seemingly outweigh the cons.
Higher productivity when WFH is mostly due to fear of being retrenched
Meanwhile, a handful of comments gave voice to their dissent over the WFH arrangement.
User whatmeworry dispelled the illusion that the higher productivity was due to the environment of WFH, asserting that higher productivity when WFH is primarily due to the fear of being retrenched.
Users HeadQuarters, Mr Duck, and retard continued in that vein, adding that the possibility of outsourcing and transitioning into part-time employment ought to be considered as well.
Downward spiral of social life
User Goldschlager opined that people generally like the idea of WFH, although those who are highly extroverts might prefer a more socialised and outgoing workplace environment outside of their homes.
User Kaypohji said that they prefer a mixed working environment so as to enjoy the best of both worlds.
Besides that, another point – one that is both interesting and amusing – that was highlighted by user Yunita19 spoke about young people having “no chance to dress up” and go to their office to socialise and meet people as they search for a potential partner.
