With the government easing lockdown norms with effect from June 8, 2020, many of you must be thinking of resuming work from office. However, many MFDs still prefer to work from home as it is safer option.
In fact, work from home offers a host of benefits – saves you time, money for expenses on office, travel and so on and of course, it is good for planet earth. In fact, the work from home model is a win-win for all stakeholders.
Let us look at some key benefits of working from home.
Flexible schedule
The biggest benefit of working from home is flexible work hours. You don't have to worry about reaching on time. Amravati distributor Meenakshi Sikchi of Rainbow Financial Services says that work from home offers her flexibility to work any time. “Considering the current scenario, I have to manage my household chores and office on my own. Work from home gives me adequate time to manage both the responsibilities effectively. In fact, I am working much more than I used to work in office. Today, I can work for over 10 hours at a stretch and still feel relaxed and energetic.”
Zero commuting
Work from homes saves you a lot of time which otherwise gets wasted in commuting and you save on travel expenses too. Also, you remain stress free as you avoid traffic jams, noise and smoke pollution. Remember the times when you were stuck in traffic after a hectic day at office.
Saugata Chatterjee, Co- Chief Business Officer, Nippon India Mutual Fund says, “If we stick to a schedule diligently where both professional and personal lives are taken care of, productivity and quality of work can be maintained as well as improved. In fact, you can utilize the time saved on travel in more productive activities.”
Easier communication with clients
Virtual meeting enables you get in touch with a large number of clients simultaneously. In fact, technology makes it much easier for you to arrange video conference of your top clients with top fund managers or AMC CEOs.
G Pradeepkumar, CEO, Union Mutual Fund believes that technological development has made it easier for distributors to communicate with large number of clients and associates. “Just to give you an example, earlier, when we used to hold a distributor event outside Mumbai say Ranchi, we had to arrange travel, accommodation and so on for our officials that too for an audience of as small as 25-50. Now, with technology, I can talk to 500 distributors across the country from home. Similarly, distributors can connect with their clients irrespective of their geographical location. In fact, virtual meetings will now be future of all client interaction,” he believes.
Relaxed environment
While there is no denying that work pressure exists in work from home set up too, it is comparatively less than working from office as you don’t need to rush out of your house in the morning to get to the office on time.
In addition, you have a luxury of changing working place at home be it living room, bedroom or balcony.
Also, you can recharge yourself by doing light exercise or listening to music for a while.
Productivity
Initially, it was quite tough for most of us to manage work from home but gradually we are getting into the groove, believes Navneet Munot, CIO, SBI MF. “In fact, as far as meetings are concerned, I realise they are more focused and productive,” he said.
Radhika Gupta, CEO, Edelweiss MF too believes that work from home increases productivity but it requires more coordination. She said, “If the intent is right, one doesn’t lose out on quality. In fact, after working from home for weeks now, I have realized that you get a lot of time for your kids, save time on commute and eat healthy food.”
