Commercial Integrator July 2021 - 10

AV BRAINS & BRAWN
Fear for Our Jobs, and Working from Home
Before you make that decision about working from home take a look at the benefits and ask yourself
if you can or should change. by Alan C. Brawn
FEAR IS AN UNSETTLING FEELING even
when we are forewarned of what might be
coming. It is an instinctive reaction imbedded
in our DNA that speaks to self-preservation.
This is where so many of us are at today.
With this pandemic, we are truly living in
uncharted times. More than anything else
it boils down to fear of the unknown. As it
currently sits, we don't even know what we
don't know.
Beyond self and family concerns, one
of the things we fear the most is what will
happen to our jobs and how this will affect
our livelihood.
As you read this our work lives have been
turned upside down and inside out. For the
most part offices sit empty and many of us
are still working from home (perhaps for the
first time). For those of us who are not used
to working from home there are obviously
some concerns and, in some cases, fears.
Let's begin with the time-tested upsides
to working at home. The following are the
top ten most common benefits that most
will encounter:
1. Better work/life balance
2. Spend less time in commuting
3. Increased productivity
4. Create your own workflow
5. Avoid office distractions and interruptions
6.
Ability to prioritize projects and maintain
project momentum
7. Cost savings for you and your company
8.
Increased comfort being in your own
environment
9. Increased job satisfaction
10. Increased personal happiness
As certainly as there are positives to
working at home the flip side also exists.
This is where fear (founded and unfounded)
rears its ugly head and it may not be
as obvious as the benefits. If we identify it
then it loses some of its power over us and
allows us to find ways to overcome it. The
following are the top ten most common
10
Commercial Integrator JULY 2021
virtually as needed. The net result is
increased productivity.
› Lack of face to face social interaction can
be addressed by planning to attend and
participate in key office events on site.
› The lack of expertise with all the virtual
meeting sites i.e. Skype, Teams, Go to
Meeting, Zoom, WebEx is simply a matter
becoming familiar with them. They
are not intimidating to use.
It's important for you and your company
to choose the environment you'll be
most successful in.
fears of working from home.
1. A lack of will power and self-motivation
2. Problems in sticking to a routine
3. Boredom and having a lack of energy
4. Lack of resources to do the job
5. Reduced response time being physically
out of the loop
6. Lack of face to face social interactions
7. Lack of expertise in virtual connectivity
and collaboration
8. No set time to " clock out "
9. Reduced career advancement
10. Being out of sight, out of mind
The first three need careful consideration.
If a person has little will power and
ability for self-motivation, problems in sticking
to a routine, and gets bored easily, then
working from home is probably not the
best idea. If you thrive on face to face social
interactions and feel inspired by seeing others
working then working at the traditional
office is probably the way to go.
The remaining concerns in the list can be
addressed with a bit of forethought and planning.
Let's take a cursory look at each one.
› Regarding resources, this can be the
fun part. Find a space that is yours and
dedicate it as your home office. This
now becomes your work environment
so design it to fit you.
› Being physically out of the loop means
you can't just drop in on a colleague
who sits nearby but you can still do that
› The issue about no set time to " clock
out " is real. Most of us end up spending
more focused time on our jobs
working from home than from a traditional
office. Each of us has to figure out
our own work/life balance. Some days
will be longer, but some days can and
should be shorter.
› The fear of reduced career advancement
can be mitigated by taking
advantage of certifications and online
learning that will bolster your resume
making you more valuable as an employee.
Communicating your efforts in
professional development is one way to
keep in the spotlight.
› Being out site and out of mind only applies
if you let it. By using the power of
email, virtual meetings, and attending
live company events will ensure you
continue to be seen and heard.
The interesting point here is that some
of us who were forced to work from home
might actually like it and our companies
might as well.
Keep in mind that this does not have to
be either or. In many cases it is becoming
a combination approach. Working from
home may be temporary for you or it may
become permanent or a combination of
home and office, but rest assured that the
benefits of working from home can be real
and the fears addressed and assuaged.
Alan C. Brawn, CTS, ISF, ISF-C,
DSCE, DSDE, DCME, is the
principal of Brawn Consulting.
commercialintegrator.com
MARINA ANDREJCHENKO/STOCK.ADOBE.COM

http://www.commercialintegrator.com

Commercial Integrator July 2021

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