By: Justin Waggoner, Ph.D., Beef Systems Specialist, Garden City, KS
The recent outbreak of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the United States has affected the workplace in many different ways. The current situation has many of us, like myself, working from makeshift workstations located in spaces formerly known as dining rooms, living rooms, or bedrooms. These unforeseen circumstances have come with many challenges and made us appreciate items like our desks and office chairs designed for optimum functionality and long-term use. As humans, we often erroneously assume that everyone’s resources/environment (circumstances) are similar to our own. In this “new” work environment, that we find ourselves we cannot assume that people have the same resources available in their homes as they would have had at their former workstations. Essential elements in the workplace, such as scanners or even internet connectivity, may create challenges for some working remotely. It would also be erroneous to assume that workflow would remain unchanged, and that this new environment has fewer distractions. Workflow and productivity will be impacted and for many parents the terms “family-friendly” and “work-life balance” have taken on entirely new meanings. Many adjectives may be used (rewarding, interesting, challenging, distracting, frustrating) to describe what it is like to work with children in the home. Managers should always take a moment and consider that not everyone’s circumstances are the same when communicating with employees about job expectations or tasks as unintentional assumptions often result in negative outcomes.
For more information, contact Justin Waggoner at jwaggon@ksu.edu.
