Dr Shahid Amin Trali

The Covid-19 crisis has in some ways proven to be a blessing in disguise. It has shown the many advantages of “work from home”. It saves the environment, it saves resources, and it saves time. Some companies had already adopted the practice of half the staff working from home for four days a week. A study carried out over two years revealed that employees who worked from home showed a great increase in productivity – almost equivalent to an additional workday – primarily because of fewer distractions and fewer pointless conversations. There is so much of air pollution nowadays and working from home saves us from it. It is good that everyone at this time is going online, be it teachers, doctors, researchers, businesses, and even courts and government offices.
Humans have to understand that rest is fundamental to success, health, and happiness. Today’s world is just going after money and productivity which is only increasing the levels of stress. Too much time working without a break fatigues the brain and reduces its ability to concentrate. The actual secret to increased efficiency and quality at work might actually lie in working less. And this effect may come by resting more. This pandemic has given us all a chance to have a good rest. Now we see employees filled with more zeal and creativity, and also possessing good health.
Life was so beautiful in the past. Today we claim to be a modern society but to be honest, without any true care for children and the elderly. We hardly find time to spend with them and are always busy with ourselves. We must respond to children and the elderly with warmth and interest. They will thereby feel secure and valued. We can easily counter the ongoing crisis in a positive manner if we spend enough time with children and elderly people.
There is a long list of contributors who are working day and night to make others feel safe. We must appreciate those who are serving humanity irrespective of caste, creed, religion, or country. It’s a pity that humans have created categories of minorities and low castes. In fact, some sections have been treated as untouchables. But today everyone seems to be an untouchable, whether rich or poor. This pandemic should make us realise that even if we have the best of luxuries in life, they may prove useless at some point of time. Today there are families who may have wished to arrange lavish parties and ceremonies; this crisis gives them the opportunity, and the lesson, to be simple and unostentatious.

The writer is Assistant Professor, School of Management, ITM University Gwalior. [email protected]

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