Chemical Engineering June 2020 - 5

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Charles BUtCher (U.K.)
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The challenges
While WFH is often sought-after by employees who want a better
work-life balance, it is not preferred by everyone, and it presents challenges.
These are exacerbated by the current pandemic, during which
even seemingly simple tasks, like getting groceries, can be difficult.
According to Bloomberg1, a major VPN (virtual private network)
provider reported that during the pandemic, workers in the U.S. used
a business VPN an average of three hours more per day than usual
- indicating a longer-than-normal workday. Rather than the anticipated
gain in free time due to the lack of commuting, workers can
actually feel more stress and overworked with the lines between work
and personal time blurred. Ironically, while one of the benefits of WFH
is seen to be better work-life balance, one of the perhaps most difficult
aspects of WFH is the propensity toward a lack of boundaries
between work and personal time. And during this pandemic, many
feel more pressure at work to do more, as companies face economic
stresses. In a recent poll by Eagle Hill Consulting2, 45% of U.S. employees
said they were experiencing burnout, with one in four attributing
it to the COVID-19 pandemic. The top reasons for burnout cited
were workload (45%) and juggling professional and personal lives
(35%). But still, those working from home feel very fortunate to have
jobs as unemployment rates skyrocket.
Post the COVID-19 crisis
While working from home is far from ideal during this time of crisis,
both employees and employers are seeing benefits that will accelerate
the trend after the COVID-19 crisis. Last month, Global Workplace
Analytics reported findings from a global survey3 of 2,600 employees
taken during the pandemic. Only 6% said they would not want to work
from home in the future and 77% said they do want to continue to
work from home, at least part-time, after the pandemic.
Companies that were slow to allow employees to WFH, are now
witnessing how technology and a willing workforce can make this
a viable longterm option. In a survey of 867 global CFOs taken last
month,
PricewaterhouseCoopers
(PwC)4
found
that about half said they are considering making remote
working a permanent option where feasible.
And they are looking at ways of accelerating automation
and other new ways of working.
■
Dorothy Lozowski, Editorial Director
1. Three Hours Longer, the Pandemic Workday Has Obliterated WorkLife
Balance, Bloomberg Business, April 23, 2020 www.bloomberg.com
2. www.eaglehillconsulting.com
3. Global Work-From-Home Experience Survey www.globalworkplaceanalytics.com
4
www.pwc.com
ChemiCal engineering www.Chemengonline.Com June 2020
5
accelerating the WfH trend
T
he necessity to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic
has thrust many into working from home (WFH) and setting up
workplaces in dining rooms, living rooms, basements or anywhere
they could. The new at-home workforce quickly became
familiar with video-conferencing and document-sharing software that
they may never have used before. Even for those who were already
working from home, this time is different. Family members are now at
home and everyone is working, studying and socializing in sometimes
close living quarters. While the trend before the pandemic was toward
an increase in working from home, the current situation has forced an
extraordinary change in our work situation, and one that is expected
to have lasting effects.
http://www.accessintel.com http://www.bloomberg.com http://www.eaglehillconsulting.com http://www.globalworkplace http://www.analytics.com http://www.pwc.com http://www.Chemengonline.Com
Chemical Engineering June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering June 2020
