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Working From Home: How Covid-19 Has Changed “Work”

BY Juma · February 4, 2021 08:02 am

KEY POINTS

Working from home was a new concept for the majority of Kenyans. They had to adjust first to keep their jobs, as well as to meet their deliverables to their clients.

Covid-19 hit the world and everything changed. Experts branded the situation “the new normal” that the world has to learn to live with. The World Health Organization told the world that the pandemic will be “with us for a very long time.”

Although there is a vaccine in place for the Covid-19 virus, the rate at which it is mutating is worrying and the world might be looking at one of the most complex viruses and pandemics. The new variant in the UK is said to have mutated, again.

When the virus hit Kenya, many sectors were caught unprepared. The magnitude of the pandemic was was not anticipated to hit that hard and so many sectors were had not put in place mechanisms to tackle the impact. Covid-19 was something that was not anticipated. It is an event in history that no one was ready for.

“Institutions did not have strategies in place. Organizations had not figured out how we can enable employees to work remotely and still deliver the same required results. Many have ended up reacting towards Covid-19,” said Mr. James Muhia from PwC.

Workplaces were the worst hit. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a directive on the protocols that people around the world were to follow to cut down on the spread of the same. The Ministry of Health in Kenya also issued further protocols to be followed, which included regularly washing hands, putting on face masks when in public, avoid crowded places, and maintaining social distance.

The need to maintain social distance at workplaces forced businesses and organizations to think of a strategy that will enable people to work remotely but still deliver the same results as before the Covid-19 hit. From a policy point of view, changes were effected in various organizations, especially in matters to do with the insurance. For instance, what happens when one got into an accident and is working from home? Who bears that cost considering that their home is now their office?

Working from home meant that companies and organizations abolish the traditional face-to-face meetings and embraced the use of online meetings. Tools such as Zoom, Google Meets, and others gained prominence. Most operations in most companies also had to be moved to online platforms. Those that could not work online had to schedule their employees to work in shifts.

Working from home was a new concept for the majority of Kenyans. They had to adjust first to keep their jobs, as well as to meet their deliverables to their clients. Home fiber uptake during the first 3 months of Covid-19 in Kenya hit the roof. Data consumption from Safaricom, for instance, during the same period grew by more than 140 percent.

The fact that kids were out of school and remained at home for 9 months, posed a great challenge to parents who were not used to having kids around for that long. This meant that they look for an environment that could enable kids to be comfortable and not interfere with their daily work.

Truth is, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic impact are massively affecting the way we live our daily lives and how we do business. It’s accelerating the technological revolution – but with that comes disruption to jobs and business and increased disparity between those with technological skills and those without.

Juma is an enthusiastic journalist who believes that journalism has power to change the world either negatively or positively depending on how one uses it. (020) 528 0222 or Email: info@sokodirectory.com

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