'Technology has narrowed the gap between home and office'

We had asked you for your take on the Work-from-home vs work-from office debate.

Here are three more responses from a start-up entrepreneur, a travel executive and somebody who wanted to remain anonymous offering their insights into the Work from home vs work from office debate. Read on...

The travel executive

I am Dhananjay Rai from a travel firm working from home using a laptop in second shift.

I think I save 3 to 4 hours of travelling compared to my other colleagues by working from home.

I get family atmosphere at home and feel relaxed. That increases my productivity for my company and for myself.

I think technologies have narrowed the gap between home and office.

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The start-up entrepreneur

I have an IT startup firm (clay6.com) and my employees love working from home. Most of them chose to join us because of the option to work
from home and flexible hours.

I have tried to answer the questions you asked as honestly as possible:

Should an organisation be flexible and let some of its staff work from home or divide time between ofice and home?

Yes. Especially in India for IT jobs.

Specifically, has flexible timing helped legions of women remain productive while involved in child care too?

Absolutely, for (women employed in) IT jobs. In my firm, most of my employees are women who love flex(ible) timings and saving on commute.

Are such people policies good for the company or do they result in less innovation and hamper productivity?

It depends on the job. We have noticed that for work that doesnt involve innovation, work from home works out better. For work with innovation (software development), hands down face-to-face is better. Again depends on the employee.

When are employees more productive and innovative? When they work from home or office?

Productive depends on the employee. They can be from home or office.

Innovation happens when there is interaction. We also notice that many Indian employees struggle with good communication skills. Given that, for work involving innovation, an office environment is a must.

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Anonymous

Work from Home vs Work from Office is analogous to Wi-Fi vs wired Internet. And I don't think anyone chooses Wired over Wi-fi, given a chance.

Today it is a world with no boundaries, let alone office walls.

Rather than saying that work from home is less productive, companies should start hiring RIGHT and self motivated people, put in efficient productivity tracking mechanisms and ensure there is no loss of productivity in the process.