The COVID-19 pandemic fast-tracked several business trends, but the biggest of these may be the work-from-home revolution.
As the Delta variant of the coronavirus takes hold in Ohio and across the country, businesses’ plans to bring workers back to the office — or not — are uncertain, but several area businesses and work-from-home employees generally agreed some variation on work-from-home may be around for a while, although their managers and employees sometimes hold differing views of the new paradigm.
More: Most desk employees head back to in-person work
Marti Loughney, an academic graduate admissions specialist at Kent State University, is among those employees who enjoyed working from home.
“I absolutely loved working remote,” she said. “I have a child with special needs. Just to be able to be here if something happens or to get them off the bus and not have to get a medical caregiver to he here was wonderful.”
She returned to the office last week and has already noticed little things she finds distracting.
“Even being back here for two days, that’s the thing I’ve noticed: other people talking, things falling, other people walking around, just the general office noise is distracting,” she said, adding that she loves working for Kent State University where she’s held a couple positions over the years.
Since much of her communication is via email, she said she doesn’t feel her position is one that must be done in person.
She said hard workers will be able to put forth a strong effort whether they’re at home or in the office.
Nate Mucha, founding principal at the Kent design firm Each + Every, said he bases his work-from-home policy on trust.
“When you’re working, it’s OK to step away and get a coffee,” he said. “I’m not checking peoples’ computer activity. I trust my people. You wouldn’t have a job with us if we didn’t know we would work well together and have a trusting relationship.”
Mucha said his employees are eager to return to the office but haven’t in part because of a renovation of the building that is in progress.
“My team is really excited to be back,” he said. “They want to know when we’re going be open so we can be back.”
Val DeCaro, who handles revenue cycle management and contract negotiations at Coleman Health Services, said she likes having employees in the office.
“I think you lose some of the collaboration, some of the brainstorming that comes from a hallway conversation,” she said.
Although the Delta variant’s spread has made things a bit uncertain, DeCaro said the plan at Coleman is to have employees in the office at least some of the time.
“We are going to be requiring staff to come in at least one day a week,” she said. “It’s really difficult to do team-building activities on a [Microsoft] Teams conference. I suppose it’s up in the air now. As of now, it’s still planned, but I suppose it could change at any moment.”
Buoyed by clear goals for employees, DeCaro said she’s had no problems with productivity or employees taking advantage of working from home.
In addition to missing those hallway or water cooler conversations, she also said online meetings don’t seem to have the same level of participation as in-person meetings. She said introverted people tend to get lost more easily in virtual gatherings than if they’re sitting around a conference table.
Steve Bossart, vice president of business development and marketing at Coleman, said two of the people who report to him work remotely but sometimes go to local Coleman offices in Stark County and near Lima.
“One of the cons for me is, I don’t want them to feel like they’re out on an island,” he said. “When they’re not with us every day in the office, that can be a challenge.”
He said he hosts weekly meetings with others in Portage County but makes the meetings virtual to include the two employees outside the county.
“I don’ think we’ve seen any drop-off in productivity,” he said. “As long as people are getting their work done, we’re happy.”
DeCaro said one of initial challenges of remote work was figuring out how to give work-from-home employees access to the files and servers they need to do their jobs. She said Coleman also had to purchase some equipment to help make remote work possible.
Kim Ball, who works with Davey Tree Expert Co.’s commercial transaction attorney, has worked from home for a while and is now starting to migrate back to the office.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” she said of working from home. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to work from home. I find it’s definitely suitable to me.”
However, she said she also is happy to be back in an office.
“I enjoy seeing people in person,” she said. “And I enjoy having a few minutes to sit down and talk to someone face-to-face.”
Although she had no problems staying productive, she said working from home was not entirely without its challenges.
“I think I get more done just because I’m here all day,” she said of being in the office. “That also can be the downfall of it because it’s a little harder to get away from it. I feel like I’m connected all the time. I think the line between my work and home life has become a little more gray. Sometimes, if the dog needs to be taken out, I let her out. Emails come in at night, so I handle them at night.”
Overall, though, Ball said she enjoyed her office at home and the experience of being more a part of her household.
“I love having a window seat,” she said. “It’s something I’ve never had before. Seeing natural light every day day is just a pleasure.”
Do you have a business or healthcare story you’d like to share? Reporter Bob Gaetjens can be reached at 330-541-9440, bgaetjens@recordpub.com and @bobgaetjens_rc.
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