Adios to my WFH

Considering the onset of COVID, I was given the prerogative of working from home. The time when Dubai was going to be under lockdown with stringent COVID rules imposed I reminisce about the time my coworker came with me home to fix my system.

I was in a catch-22 situation. Never in my existence have I dreamt of working from home and I often conjectured if this is going to work and for how long? It was stretching with connections getting slow but I got there and was accommodating with many ups and downs.

The process was more programmed as I used to log off and head straight to work out. This kept going every day and the place I used to work out is somewhere far from my apartment so I had to take special approvals. If I had infants it would have been another scenario working from home with me going lunatic.

The move was congenial but at times tedious and those days meeting up with friends, and family was on a halt. I didn’t even have a place fixed at home but after a year I made my own cabin and the work continued at home.

What I missed most is the reciprocity with my colleagues, the outside exposure, and traffic snarls although it was comfortable to work at home with my shorts and pajamas on. I used to have the habit of sleeping late to finish pending tasks so I can start work crisped the next day. But I still felt it was monotonous waking up and just logging in and getting ready for those long hours of work. Yes, the traffic is nowhere to be a hindrance, with no time needed for wringing my outfits, packing my tiffin, and heading to the office.

I still loved it and I am going to miss my work from home. Now that I am ready to get back to the office full-fledged It’s like me going to a new class or new school with my bags, looking glossy. Time to socialise, smile, and catch up with some of my colleagues who missed me, have lunch together, and have out little tattles and puns.

The worrisome factor is my waking up early and then the traffic snarls but I should be used to everything in a few days’ time till I get back to the old groove of “Work from the office”.

Mathew Litty — Dubai, UAE