"Air quality has improved in cities around the world", as reported in
an article about the relationship between less globabl emissions and
air quality, the facts of which should really be no surprise to
anyone: Coronavirus lockdown causes global emissions to fall
Seems there are lessons to be learned. Perhaps one of them is that each time the toxicity of our environment threatens the quality of life of our species and our progeny - life on earth, more precisely - we will be confronted with a worldwide pandemic. (I am not prepared at this time to make an observation about whether such a pandemics are naturally occurring or created.)
Perhaps it is time for the technology we do have to be used in more effective and productive ways which do not require physical presence as much, in some vocations, so that we can actually be more productive personally, and professionally with less frenetic efforts. Spending an 8 hour or more block of time, daily, dedicated to getting to and from the work place and being there, is not an absolute necessity for the work many do which can as effectively be accomplished online from a home office.
Working from home, at least part of every week or month, provides opportunity to better schedule demands of work around the normal demands of life instead of everyone struggling to fit what is not associated with work, into before, after, and during work hours.
Before covid-19 we knew that working from home was already an opportunity extended to a few, when it is actually an opportunity that could be extended to many more employees. Fact is that changing the mind-set from scheduling work around life, instead of scheduling life around the demands of physical presence at work, does not necessarily change the quality of anyone's work, and it actually improves the quality of everyone's life.
When we have the time and wherewithal to make home a place where we want to be, as a comfortable hub from which to live all aspects of our lives, then why wouldn't productively working from home be advocated and encouraged as an advantage to both employees and employers?
Seems there are lessons to be learned. Perhaps one of them is that each time the toxicity of our environment threatens the quality of life of our species and our progeny - life on earth, more precisely - we will be confronted with a worldwide pandemic. (I am not prepared at this time to make an observation about whether such a pandemics are naturally occurring or created.)
Perhaps it is time for the technology we do have to be used in more effective and productive ways which do not require physical presence as much, in some vocations, so that we can actually be more productive personally, and professionally with less frenetic efforts. Spending an 8 hour or more block of time, daily, dedicated to getting to and from the work place and being there, is not an absolute necessity for the work many do which can as effectively be accomplished online from a home office.
Working from home, at least part of every week or month, provides opportunity to better schedule demands of work around the normal demands of life instead of everyone struggling to fit what is not associated with work, into before, after, and during work hours.
Before covid-19 we knew that working from home was already an opportunity extended to a few, when it is actually an opportunity that could be extended to many more employees. Fact is that changing the mind-set from scheduling work around life, instead of scheduling life around the demands of physical presence at work, does not necessarily change the quality of anyone's work, and it actually improves the quality of everyone's life.
When we have the time and wherewithal to make home a place where we want to be, as a comfortable hub from which to live all aspects of our lives, then why wouldn't productively working from home be advocated and encouraged as an advantage to both employees and employers?
