Remote working gets a big boost, but...

Dubai - Zoom and other such audio-visual meetings are largely soulless and trite and missing in body language and emotion.

It might be a startling figure but the fact that 80 per cent of the respondents in a survey conducted by global staffing firm Robert Half vote for working from home brings that option back to life. Their grounds for such a support is that they save time and money and are more productive. As salaries are pared and liquidity low the saving of money in commuting is a strong driver for not venturing out. It is also arguable that as many as two hours plus are lost waiting for, and in, transportation. That is almost 30 per cent of a work day.

Also up for grabs is the productivity angle. The concentration in an office under supervision and with peers, subordinates and bosses should logically be higher. That such a vast majority feels otherwise needs more exploration to ensure it is not the sloth of dressing up, shaving, dong early morning 'before we go' chores so that we eliminate the possibility that this keenness to stay home is not motivated by laziness.

It would be very enlightening to learn how much better an individual performance was in the past three months as compared to the  output in the comeback stage as we are in now.

While the experiment in the past Covid-19 months was a viable option to maintain social distancing and flatten the Covid-19 curve does it have longterm stamina as a replacement for physical presence? There is something to be said for the tactile element and the face to face even if you are six feet apart. You get things done. Zoom and other such audio-visual meetings are largely soulless and trite and missing in body language and emotion. Also when you are pressing buttons much of the content is lost in the process of concentrating.

If you are the sort of field commander who susses out intent through body language you lose a very important dimension by working remotely. Dress, the way people deport themselves, their presence quotient, all count.

Like one businessman said, I want to look everyone in the eye before I sign the bottom line.