Question

Do you think work from home benefits can be utilized across all types of jobs? Can you incorporate this for direct patient care physicians and nurses, or for front line retail staff? If yes, how. If not, why not?

Answer 1

The cocept of Work from home

The concept " work from home" is not a newly evolved trend, but from the olden days people were practicing this by combining the working space and living space under the one roof. The practice were there before thousands of years, weaving, spinning, pottery, butchery, crafts making etc are some of the examples for the jobs,  that the people were doing at home. Industrial revolution, invention of printing machine , telephone and telegrams are created office spaces or working spaces , where the employees can come together and work. Due to advancement of science and technology, especially the internet facility and global digitalization made the employees of certain profession to be at home and work from there, without coming physically to the company/ office.

COVID 19 pandemic made most of the jobs, under work from home ' that we never thought. Even the schools and colleges are under lockdown and the teaching is made possible through the online or live teaching or through the pre recorded video. The Government also encouraging the trend ' work from home'.

( But I don't think so that ' work from home' benefits can be utilised for all types of jobs. There are jobs that can do only in the specialized working spaces. For example: Food Manufacturing factories or machines/ vehicles manufacturing factories. The workers have to come to factories for working on Machines and other things, that they can't do at home.

Some of the areas of healthcare can be covered by 'work from home', but the physicians and nurses , who are involving in direct patient care can't depend on this trend of work. As  the healthcare providers are professionals, who are working for the benefits of patient , not for a company through the computer system. Patients should need the touch and care from the physician and the nurses to cure the illness or to alleviate the suffering. Some areas where the health care can be applied through 'work from home' are telemedicine, tele-consultation, medical coding, billing etc. Health professionals and front line retailers can't incorporate the concept ' work from home' as they have to have the direct or face to face communication to understand their clients/ customers. Online diagnosis and treatment of diseases will not be effective and efficient and it may not be appropriate for standards and ethics.