MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION..............................................

 Q:-Explore and evaluate the impact of ‘Work From Home’ on family relationships. (150 words)

Introduction:

 • "Work From Home" culture increased since the COVID pandemic. WFH is currently known as an alternative working to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection. However, WFH is not new and has been brought to the attention of several schools of thought for many years. The WFH concept was initially mentioned by Nilles (1988) dating back to 1973, known as “telecommuting” or “telework”. 

• WFH has been defined in various terms over the four decades, namely remote work, flexible workplace, telework, telecommuting, e–working. 

Body:

 POSITIVE IMPACT 

1. While working from home a person spends more time with family. This makes the family bond stronger.

 2. Parents spend more time with children which is good for parent-children relationships. 

3. While working from home you can take better care of your sick elderly parents.

 4. When working from home, the work stress and family are in the same place.

 Body:

 NEGATIVE IMPACT

1. When husband and wife are at home throughout the day the chances of arguments between them increase. Some studies have reported an increase in domestic violence, especially in already strained marital relations. 

2. While working from home you share the same workspace with other family members (wife, son, daughter father, or brother) who may also be working from home, you may be sharing the same resources like Intenet, computer, AC room, etc. If work timing or meeting time clash it leads to arguments. 

3. Some persons become more irritable while working from home due to background disturbance and lack of required work infrastructure. How Does It Affect Relationships?

 • Not Finding the Right Balance: A lot of us find it difficult to balance both personal and work lives. We usually forget what and when things need attention because prioritizing things does not mean much till you end up having a conflict!

 • Venting Out Stress: When working remotely, it becomes rather simpler for work-related problems to impact marital and family relationships, since both the roles are happening in the same place and at the same time. 

• Dividing Responsibilities: Now that everyone is at home either working or attending lectures, there is a high chance that no one has enough time to do chores. So, all the load of cooking and cleaning comes on one person, who will eventually get frustrated and this will lead to bitter moments and arguments.

 • Sharing Common Space: Another drawback work from home has caused is it has made individuals share their workspace with their SOs. So if meeting timings clash, tempers are likely to fly high, bad internet quality and background disturbance.