Question: If this pandemic has taught me anything, it is that life and work can be run mostly from the home. I mean, with the latest in technology, I not only work from home but also do my shopping for necessities and luxuries from home. And I am also more informed because I get to easily do price comparisons and get reviews on items and their sellers. This work from home (WFH) is and should be “the new normal” (TNN), right? Question posed at “Ask a Friend, Ask Efren” free service at www.personalfinance.ph, SMS, Viber, Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
Answer: You are right in life being ever so convenient. Most everything can be done on the internet and in lightning speed whether it be for work or for daily living. But there are pitfalls you must spot early on. Here are a few of them when it comes to online shopping.
Convenience actually wreaks havoc in personal finance because in quickly quenching the “now na” thirst, it also makes you overlook certain things like hidden charges.
I have tested this time and again and have found that some items can be purchased at lower prices if you spent the time going to the actual, not virtual, store and paying in cash even if you count the supposedly cheaper delivery charges from online shopping. This is because online companies that facilitate the transaction need to earn as well.
Instant gratification actually produces chemicals in your brain that reinforce the positive experience of being able to buy at the press of a button. And while there is delivery time to consider, we tend to want more what we do not have, more so if you already paid for it.
Instant gratification can at times turn to instant frustration when the item you bought turned out to be different from what you really wanted or needed like the wrong size of clothing or footwear, color or texture that is different from the picture and incompatible specifications. You may even end up with a fake item.
When it comes to work, there are savings in time and money from not having to commute to and from the office. But the dynamics are different when there is physical interaction.
When you are up close and personal with your officemates, there is no camera frame outside of which other activities can be hidden. Communication is not just done with the spoken or written word but also with body language, which is exceedingly difficult to perceive through a computer monitor.
Physical meetings also demand more attention to detail, a necessary element when commitment to activities is being solicited.
Training programs are best conducted in person. The trainer, like a professional actor, will need to pick up on the reactions of his audience to whatever he is talking about. Imagine being met with silence on the one hand or background noise on the other during an online meeting after sharing a groundbreaking concept or a good joke.
So, is work and live from home the “new normal”? I seriously doubt it. Man is a social being who needs physical interaction. The old ways will likely just be augmented with some technologically enhanced activities.
Once fully vaccinated but still practicing health and safety protocols, go outside and get some fresh air, see old friends and meet new ones, get challenged anew at your workplace, attend church service in person and perhaps even get caught once more in traffic.
Our old, imperfect normal will return, but this time supercharged with the technology we relied so heavily on during the lockdowns. INQ