In a world where overworking was already glamorized and a burn out was worn as a badge of honor, the Covid -19 pandemic has more than transformed ‘business hours’ into ‘all hours’. Dual responsibilities of managing both home and work life has increased stress, compromised emotional and physical wellbeing besides also affecting professional productivity.
And most often than not, a disproportionate amount of responsibilities are placed on women expecting them to perform unattainable obligations without any respite or consideration for their contextual limitations.
At Kapture, people are always more important than numbers and nothing is as important to us as our team. In terms of equity, flexible working hours and a gender-friendly work environment, we’ve come a long way but we believe and know that there’s still more work to do.
So we decided to hear it from three of our co-workers who are at the forefront of leading both our company and their personal lives with compassionate efficiency. Three women from diverse backgrounds yet equally, unapologetically who they are.
Sandhya Krishna, Senior Finance Executive (Wife and Mother)
Sandhya finds working from home quite difficult yet enjoyable!
She says, “The work-life conflict for a work-from-home mother is a crazy ride.’
She has to juggle office hours with household management simultaneously, while also tending to her child’s needs at home. But she is not someone to be deterred from everyday living no matter what the circumstance.
Pandemic or not, she believes in giving her presence fully to the moment.
Here’s what Sandhya has to say, ‘ It may look difficult, but it’s a privilege to go through this journey of being an independent loving mother along with my supportive partner.”
It is true that acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation of all abundance.
Her word is Gratitude.
Saumya Dubey, Creative Designer (Single Working Woman)
Saumya has an entirely different take on the work from home acclimatization. From the perspective of a single woman working and living by herself in the city, she says that the pandemic has given her a newer approach to how she has been enabled to recognize and eliminate the unnecessary patterns of her life, which until not too long ago, she deemed absolutely essential.
She says, ‘Daily up/down commute while also trying to be engaged in social activities used to be a crucial part of my life, until it wasn’t. The lock down and its ensuing safety parameters made working from home possible and it gradually has now become the new norm. I’m not saying that it was easy at first but I allowed it to grow on me.’
Although Saumya seems to have a mixed review of the current situation, she says she’s juggling both her personal and work life as best as she can. She likes how spending time with herself and her pets gave her an opportunity to dig deeper into her inner space which allowed for a personally transformational experience. On the other hand, she does admit that in the beginning, it completely threw her work and home life off balance.
Angsumi Devi, CRM Executive (Single, Joint Family Member)
We all know the pros and cons of living in a joint family structure. And for Angsumi, it’s mostly pros. The lockdown took her back home to Assam right into the safety net of her beloved extended family who were only too glad to have her back.
‘Being single in a joint family has proved to be quite advantageous to me,’ she laughs. ’Especially during the eye of the storm, when most of us were working prolonged hours with no signs of the old balance coming back.’
‘My family helped me cope with the situation better – took care of my daily needs, prepped my meals and ensured that I got ample sleep and rest. They also assisted me with work and other emergencies.’
One can’t really overlook the disadvantages too. In a 9 member family like hers, a quiet work environment is a much sought after indulgence, which is very hard to come by. Requesting people to lower their voices during work calls is just the tip of the iceberg, she says.
Complaining, she’s not.
Conclusion
Here’s the thing. This is not about providing pointers on how to balance our work and home life perfectly. This is about acknowledging that we are all going through a transition in our ‘less than perfect’ lives and it’s okay. This is about bringing to the forefront how each narrative is diverse, can vary yet each is just as valid and important to the person who’s experiencing it.
This is about listening, without acquiescing to the urge of offering advice. Because sometimes we only want to be heard.
And lastly, this isn’t about coming to a conclusion. This is about letting our team members know that we hear you and we’re here for you. This is about accepting this change around us and creatively responding to it while we move forward – together, as a team.
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