LIFESTYLE

Work and the NEW NORMAL

Between generalized telework and the revaluing of vital jobs, the epidemic deeply modified the structure of the professional world. What consequences can we expect tomorrow?   

During the pandemic, millions of people worked from home, and many of them still do. Millions more were faced with partial unemployment, and the jobs that paid the least were the ones that continued, now referred to and considered as "essential," all the while risking the health of the employees. This was an entirely new scenario - one that exposed the many glaring injustices of our society. Now the question is: will the Coronavirus crisis cause a revolution in the way we work?    

First and foremost, we must admit that at least from the point of view of a working sociologist, that these were edifying times. On one part, there's evidence of the structuring role of professional activity in our lives. Suddenly, millions of people - even those that worked from home - were deprived of the social bond and time structure that work provided. And for many, of a salary as well. We also became aware of some often, overlooked dimensions of work: the importance of physical contact and exchanges.   

However, many were happy with this forced transition towards working from home, since they seemed to have all the necessary tools. Starting with the second week of March, downloads of the video-conference app Zoom rose by 80%, and this happened at an accelerated rate. Other virtual reunion apps saw five times more demand than usual, with messaging apps having their most productive period in years. The problem is that none of these platforms and technologies were created to account for the whole world working from home.    

Even with these hiccups, people were still able to replicate their work behaviors while at home easily. For some, the new situation also seemed visibly improved. That's why it's safe to say that we would never go back to the way things were before. Once the technical, organizational, and cybersecurity obstacles were removed, we won't want to go back. However, this doesn't mean we won't go back to work. But the need to announce we would be working from home with one week in advance would probably seem outdated and unnecessary. Besides, the culture of presenteeism will undoubtedly take a hit. After all, we're talking about the culture that values employees coming to work even when they're sick. A sort of sacrifice that won't seem so heroic now, but borderline idiotic.    

We're going to need to learn the new ropes, how to take advantage of the benefits of working from home, how to synchronize our routines so that we can be more efficient.    

Of course, if we're judging things strictly by what happened during the crisis, the experience of working from home - during confinement and with kids at home, and possibly even battling sickness - is far from ideal. Plus, when two people of the same family are both working from home, the one with the smaller salary will be forced to resign to care for the children, usually the woman. Some speak of a return to the fifties because all the tasks we had been able to outsource - cooking, cleaning, babysitting - were suddenly back on our shoulders. This unusual situation redoubled traditional society-driven inequality.    

What also became apparent during this time is that there are essential jobs, vital even (in industries like the food industry, garbage disposal, and large-scale distribution), and the realization of the problem, which is that many of these vital jobs are undervalued and poorly paid.   

But will this crisis allow for a revaluation of these jobs? Will we review the scale of values of our society as a whole? What's for sure is that the future can never be like the past, and change will take time. A unified, societal pressure is essential to obtain better salaries for all the vital and underpaid jobs and to the "essential workers"! Please do whatever you can to assist.