By now, you’ve likely heard of the Covid-19 virus or as it’s commonly called, the Coronavirus. It’s spreading exponentially and infecting humans around the world and even potentially a dog.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2,[8] a virus closely related to the SARS virus.[9][10][11] The disease is the cause of the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak.[12][13] It passes from one person to others via respiratory droplets produced from the airways, often during coughing or sneezing.[14][15] Time from exposure to onset of symptoms is generally between 2 and 14 days.[16][17]Hand washing, maintaining distance from people who are coughing, and not touching one’s face with unwashed hands are recommended to prevent the disease.[18] It is recommended to cover one’s nose and mouth with a bent elbow when coughing.[18]
Wikipedia
The CDC and doctors like Dr. Agus in the video here are saying that it’s no longer a matter of if but when the virus will become local and quarantines will happen.
If you’re looking to monitor the virus counts you can do so here or by checking out the embedded info below.
Work from Home Schedules and the Coronavirus
While this has been horrible news for investors and the stock market has continued to tumble, there could be a silver lining to a pandemic. This could force companies to consider and implement full-time work from home schedules.
The Decision
As the virus spreads and quarantines start to happen, it will become clear that for most, staying at home unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave will be the best course of action to slow the spread. Look to Wuhan to see how the city essentially shut down and people stayed in their homes.
For many workers that have remote work capability, it will become clear that if you can work from home you should. I’m sure company management doesn’t want to responsible for facilitating the spread of the virus and allowing full-time work from home is the best way to prevent that.
Could Government Mandate Work from home?
Governments are definitely concerned with the stability of the economy and keeping as many people working as possible should be a top priority. If an office employee gets sick and spreads it to coworkers, you can end up with entire teams sick and that halts the company.
I could definitely imagine governments mandating companies to implement temporary work from home requirements for all eligible employees in the interest of stopping the spread of the illness and helping to sustain the economy.
Long Term Repercussions
In the event of widespread full-time work from home schedules being implemented, it’s very possible that employers will finally realize the financial benefits that go along with such a setup. The virus could act as a catalyst for change forcing employers to implement policies. If they work well, employers may find little reason to return to the old way of doing things.
Employer Savings
- Immediate cost savings reflected in electric bills
- Companies may at last consider the savings of closing the office and getting rid of their office leases
- No longer needing to maintain a local network and the IT staff that goes with it.
- Elimination in office equipment costs
- Insurance costs that go along with maintaining an office
- Some employees might even be willing to accept a slight pay cut in exchange for working from home full-time which would allow them to cut costs considerably.
Employee Savings
Employers aren’t the only beneficiaries of a full-time work from home implementation. Consider the following:
- Elimination of the commute will result in significant fuel savings and with grocery delivery available, many frugal folks may decide to evaluate if they really even need a car anymore.
- Reducing the need or desire to eat out for lunch will help us save on food budgets
- Less of a need for office-based attire and the dry cleaning bills that might go with it
Societal Benefits
There would be societal benefits to working from home as well. Consider the following changes.
- The change in traffic flows could greatly improve the gridlock that occurs during rush hour in the morning and evening.
- Significantly fewer cars on the road are likely to have a positive impact on the environment and air we breathe.
- We’ll all have a bit more time if we aren’t spending it preparing for work and commuting to work.
How would a full-time work from home schedule benefit you?