This archive report was first published on 9 May 2021.
May 9, 2021, marked a significant shift in the way we work, with many employees being directed to work from home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Joanne Wanjala, a principal communication officer at a government agency, has made peace with this new norm.
Her dining table has become her office, equipped with a cup of tea, pen and notebook, a set of headphones, and a laptop. However, the transition to working from home wasn't easy, especially when the third wave of the pandemic hit the country, resulting in the loss of a colleague and several others testing positive.
Joanne's children, Jian and Jean, have also had to adjust to their mother working from home. 'Sometimes the children want stories; other times they just want your attention,' Joanne states. 'Here is where one has to remember he or she has deliverables.'
Workers often underestimate their ideals and self-discipline, and Joanne is no exception. She admits to being a chief procrastinator in a work-from-home environment, often getting distracted by the thought of having a whole 24 hours at her disposal.
George Bernard Shaw's quote, 'there is no sincere love than the love of food,' rings true for Joanne, who often finds herself jumping to the kitchen for a cup of tea. Unless she is disciplined with her to-do list and timelines, it's not easy to stay focused.
Employers can play a crucial role in supporting remote workers by investing in wellness programmes. Grace Nzula, the coordinator of Learning and Development at the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM), emphasizes the importance of having a proper strategy, being accommodative, and reskilling employees to make the transition to remote working easier.
According to research, over 65 per cent of organisations in Africa are set to increase investment in digital solutions this year, while 51 per cent of African companies intend to increase their investment in upskilling current employees. The internal data corporation estimates that a whopping $2.3 trillion (Sh248 trillion) will be spent by organisations on digitisation by 2023.
