KOCHI: For Kavya Vijayakumar, a tax associate at KPMG, work was just like an extension of her student life. The Nileshwaram native chose Kochi for her first job, out of love for the city.“There was a good rapport among the team as well as the seniors at the company. Now I miss that, especially having lunch together and travelling in the office cab. We used to hold parties in other cities too. All this has been missing during the pandemic,” Kavya said.
Kavya’s close friend and colleague Alekhya Vijayan also share the same concern. Being at home round the clock, they spend working long hours, even more than they had to while working from office. She added that since the internet was slower at home, and there are connectivity issues as well as power outages, which hinders continuity.
“Normally, we used to work only for eight to nine hours a day in office. At home, we are spending up to 12 hours in front of the laptop. While working from home, even clearing doubts is a tedious process and is more time consuming,” said Alekhya.
Dilbar Sahud N P, a native of Nadakkavu in Kozhikode and a tax associate, is getting little time with family while working from home. “The hours are stretched to the maximum when we work remotely. Though we are sitting 24 hours inside the house, we are not connected with our family members. The food timings sometimes do not match with my team breaks and I am confined to my room all day,” Dilbar said. When work turned stressful at the office, there were options to hang around with friends inside the park, he added. As sitting continuously for hours increased his weight, Dilbar had to go on a special diet.
SILVER LINING
Asha Anto, a senior associate, points out the pros and cons of working from home. Though she misses her team at the park, she could spend her days with her husband. Five years into the marriage, she said, this is the first time they are getting such a luxury. “My sleeping patterns have changed and I get no exercise. The only advantage is the time I get to spend with my family,” Asha said.