I caught the flu bug last week. I don't know if it was of the H1N1 variety because the doctor saw no need to do a swab since I had no 'travel history'.
To show off my immense knowledge of the topic we had been giving acres of newsprint to, I suggested that not having been to any of the flu-affected countries might be no indication of not contracting H1N1, since there is already 'community transmission'.
Yes, and that's why you should simply go home and rest, he said, and for good measure, he gave me medical leave till the weekend.
Hands up all of you who have had four days' MC for sore throat and runny nose. My symptoms aren't serious enough to warrant more than Augmentin, it seems, yet I am to be imprisoned at home and kept away from others as though I have the plague.
Since there is a question mark over the nature of my flu, my mother lets herself into my apartment and quietly leaves food in the kitchen. She leaves just as quietly after checking that I am not dead.
My brother fears for the health of his newborn although his sister is many, many streets away.
I am sick but not that sick and normally, I wouldn't have minded working from home.
I believe there's a greater chance a worker will get more work done at home than when in the office. At least, that's true for me when I am well and working from home.
Ideas come from staring at the sky from my window. Whenever there is a lull at work, I go for a quick dip in the swimming pool - and feel energised and ready to restart.
Or I nip out to buy household stuff and groceries. I feel good that the cupboard is restocked. Then I get back to work again.
Sometimes, I even squeeze in reading a few pages of a book (Hey, in my line, that's work).
All of which would be quite impossible to do if you are in the office and trying to look busy even when you are not.
That's tiring.
Do I get a lot of work done in between swimming, shopping and reading? Of course I do, especially since they put me in such a good mood.
So what's the downside?
You could be doing too much work (yes, there is such a thing, boss). You get in front of the computer too early and you get all frustrated when no one answers your e-mail. You start thinking that people might be ignoring you. You start reaching for the phone.
And because nobody bothers you at home, you start thinking everyone in the office should be working just as efficiently, forgetting they have meetings to go to and office gossip to catch up on in the canteen.
Also, while there are benefits working in your pyjamas, too long a sojourn will start making you miss dressing up for work and looking good.
As I said, I have never minded working from home but it's no fun being stuck at home with an MC when you are really not that sick.
It means you can't get out of the house to get some sun and exercise. And although you feel perfectly healthy, you feel guilty about heading to the store in case you are still 'shedding viral particles'.
The greatest draw of working from home, after all, is to be able to fill your day with other activities besides fulfilling your quota of work.
So guess what you end up doing besides work if you're physically confined to the house? Housework. My house has never been so clean.
Do I miss human interaction? Not really. Every human being needs time out from other human beings, I reckon. Then again, I suppose I haven't been imprisoned for too long to find out what it really means to be alone.
I keep wondering why work from home isn't a lot more common. I guess it's got to do with companies and bosses having to be in control all the time. There's always the sneaky feeling that a person working at home is really skiving.
Also, when work is not really quantifiable, it becomes hard to measure productivity. A salesman has no need to enter the office since his work will be measured by the amount of sales he brings in. Who cares if he sleeps in till noon so long as he brings in the dough?
Someone whose work is measured quality-wise would have a harder time proving he is really hard at work at home.
Also, there's something to be said for having a co-worker within shouting distance and the boss within walking distance. Misunderstandings that come from long- distance and faceless communication are less likely.
With the flu bug going around, this is as good a time as any for workplaces to start experimenting with work from home. Why risk whole offices going on medical leave and then, legitimately, not working when you can forestall it all by separating bodies early?
The schools are already doing it with e-learning although it is not likely they can do so for long as students need supervision and mentoring. Plus, they will chafe at missing the company of friends.
I will be the first to say, from a corporate point of view, not everyone is suited for work from home.
Sometimes, the nature of the work requires full-time physical presence. For example, I am not one of those who believe in telemedicine - the doctor had better be there when I need him.
Sometimes, it is just the nature of the person. There will always be those who blithely draw a salary while doing nothing. Work from home means they can better get away with it as no one's watching.
And there will be those who work best under a disciplined workday structure and will feel moorless if not anchored to a timetable of work activities.
Yet, I am betting there will be those for whom work from home would be immensely satisfying, like mothers with young children.
Or eccentrics who can cram a lot of good work in a few hours but wilt if they are expected to conform to a workday structure.
Or those aiming for some sort of work-life balance instead of feeling chained to a desk as it is expected of them to put in the long hours.
Maybe it's time to start putting workers to the test to see how to get the best out of each one. After all, if the experiment fails, there's still the office we can go back to.
