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The New Working Normal
If there is one thing from the pandemic I have found the most useful, it would be the ability for us to work from home more often. Traditionally, working from home was an occasional thing we did but ever since the pandemic, it has become the norm.
We have seen a shift in how people work, with many of us going from office-based environments to home offices. It may have been different during the pandemic for most but only recently have we realised the benefits of it, for instance, it provides a method of allowing work-life balance and enables businesses to free up workspace hence reducing operational costs.
When considering that businesses like Twitter and Square have encouraged staff members to work from home as much as they need or to balance home and office work, this has definitely become a more acceptable way of working.
I’m going to talk to you today about how I’ve found working from home and the benefits it has had on me when it came to keeping a work-life balance and how it has helped me manage my disability better.
Working Where It’s Most Accessible
One of the positive things to take from remote working is the potential to make work more accessible. See it this way, remote working doesn’t require you to access the office at all to do your role responsibilities.
Many disabled people who may struggle to access work due to accessibility needs will no longer need to worry, as if the office isn’t always accessible, we can have the option to work from home.
The most accessible place for me is where I live. It has all the accessible rooms, space for turning and working equipment I can manage independently i.e. my electric height adjustable desk and desk chairs, which ensures I stay comfy while working at home.
While the items mentioned can be requested from Access to Work – the workplace isn’t always the most accessible place due to doors that aren’t automatic, hard-to-reach lift buttons. It can be increasingly difficult to access the workplace without relying on somebody else to be there to let you in.
It can be difficult to get to work, especially on a bad day. Nobody wants to be feeling their worse in the office. The introduction of remote working ensures that even on the worse of days physically, we can at least rest while working from home and still have an impact.
Relying on others can be an issue sometimes, especially if you need carers who may not be available on the day so working from home avoids cases where your support fails, which means you can’t make it to work.
Remote Working Experience
From my own experience working from home has been fantastic. I’ve been able to better manage my health and the time not spent driving has really helped me enjoy my evenings more. Even after all this ends, I would like to continue working remotely due to the above benefits discussed and the increased accessibility of working at home.
However, that’s not without saying that attending the office occasionally wouldn’t be an option for me. I would like to chat and catch up with colleagues as this can be very crucial to building professional and lifelong friendships.
Clocking Off
As more jobs become available, I think we will be seeing more jobs with an emphasis on remote working. This will be a step in the right direction how this will enable more people, including those with disabilities access the workplace, by making it easier to work where it best suits you. We should also see more companies change their work cultures to reflect this, enabling people to work where they’re most comfortable.
If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to drop the post a like and a comment. Please feel free to tell me your take on remote working too as I would love to discuss this topic with you all. While you are here, please consider checking out my other blog content where I cover a range of topics.
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