LOFTER-网易轻博

By Xiaotong He

In February 2020, Mai Lijuan, who was supposed to be at work, was sitting at her desk at home in Shunde, nervously and busily checking her cellphone messages. Why was she so busy at home ?

                            Mai’s home in Shunde.Image grab from Amap.

It turned out that because of the COVID-19 outbreak, people couldn't gather in the company to work in groups, and Mai was forced to work at home. 

For a nearly 50-years-old, using mobile phones,computers and other electronic equipment to work online, was indeed a difficult challenge. “I need to use mobile phone to contact customers, promote products, conduct online meetings, make report charts and so on . Part of these works is usually done by my secretary,” she said. Because of the communicationdifficulties of online companies, she chose to finish the work by herselfmost of the time. 

 

Work online ?

When asked the impact online work has hadon her, Mai smiled helplessly, “Working online forced me to keep an eye on my phone at all times. Even when I was eating or sleeping, I had to continue towork because of a call or message, which made my life and work hard toseparate.” What's more, online communication was more time-consuming and laborious than offline communication.The work efficiency was also reduced.

                      Mai working with hercomputer. Photo by He Xiaotong .

Of course, there are some benefits toworking online. Mai said working online also made her working hours more flexible and free, allowing her to take breaks in her garden and she  felt more relaxed at home. She was comforted by the benefits of spending more time with her family and not having to wear a tight uniform. But weighing the advantages and disadvantages , online work still does more harm than good for her.

 

Work offline ?

In March, 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic situation in China tended to ease. In the case of good security measures, allwalks of life also gradually returned to offline office. This reporter received a message from Mai that she had returned to work. So,I did a supplementary interview.

“I was very happy to work at home for amonth, which also made me understand the benefits of offline work, so that I would cherish the time in the company,” she pointed out . After the isolation caused by COVID-19 epidemic, the colleagues of the company became more united. The old colleagues who were unfamiliar with the use of electronic devices are now proficient in the use of mobile phones and computers. Compared with the special training they used to receive, they are more effective by doing it by themselves.It  is an unexpected gain.

                     Mai's colleagues  having a meeting. Photo by Mai Lijuan

Today, Mai's company maintains strict precautions, requiring customers to wear masks, take temperature readings and register to enter and leave the office, regularly disinfecting public areas and not allowing group meals . The position of workers must be at intervals of more than 1.5 meters.

In the office, the reporter saw that Mai was busy counting protective supplies, and through the form of text messages and phone calls,she was  informing customers to pick up the medical gift bags in the company. She said these were gifts from the company to the customers.

Although the outbreak has slowed down andthe company has resumed offline work, there will inevitably be some online work to follow. From a safe distance of 1.5 meters, Mai gave the reporter a protective kit and waved goodbye. 

Your choice ?

As reported in the news, during theoutbreak, many industries were forced to work online. Some employees thought that online work was difficult to operate and difficult, which reduced their work efficiency and had a negative impact on their lives. Others had different views, saying that working at home saved time on the commute, improved productivity and gave them more time to spend on their own.

So,what do you or your family, colleagues, or friends think about working at home during the COVID-19 outbreak? Do you prefer working online or offline? Click on the comment box below and let us know your opinions!

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Some related reports :

https://www.sohu.com/a/373692154_668702 

https://tech.sina.com.cn/roll/2020-06-18/doc-iircuyvi9076759.shtml

https://finance.sina.com.cn/china/2020-03-05/doc-iimxyqvz7968815.shtml

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1659109230655852335&wfr=spider&for=pc