“This too will pass,” said my husband, after reading the daily tally of COVID-19 in the newspaper. We discussed the impact of the pandemic on our lives and those around us, feeling privileged to have a roof over our heads, daily meals and savings to see us through.
But the plight of the migrant workers engulfed us in a sense of collective failure. Migration from villages to cities started way back in the late 18th century at the time of the Industrial Revolution.
Dark side
The pandemic has exposed the flaws in the unorganised sector. Misinformation, loss of jobs and panic stirred up the basic instinct to return home in the time of uncertainty. As the coronavirus marched relentlessly all over India, it drove home the point that collective well-being is important for individuals to stay healthy.
The pandemic affected white collar workers and the wealthy as well. Many of them resumed activities to some extent through digital platforms. For those in the organised sector, the new norm of work-from-home suddenly offered more time with family. The conventional 9-to-5 schedule had remained fairly constant since the 1970s, even as businesses became digital, global and competitive and cities expanded adding more hours to the commute.
As more women joined the work force, family time got limited to a couple of hours between returning home and going to sleep. Work time encroached upon the time for recreation and rest, causing lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
The pandemic abruptly pushed the pause button on established ways of working. Life after the pandemic should not be “business as usual”, rather it should be a new improved society that ensures collective well-being and better work-life balance.
To quote philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” A combination of shorter hours on site and online from home will give employees adequate time for recreation, rest and developing skills.
My husband and I could pick up our hobbies of reading, writing, watching nature and social service only after retirement. Despite living in a Tier-2 city, work pervaded all our waking hours. Now I find my daughters and nieces living in metros doing the same. Conversations with them reiterate a need for shorter and flexible timings to achieve a better work-life balance. Perhaps there is no better time than now to gather views from the public and involve public policy experts to develop a blueprint for a better life for everyone.
COVID-19 has brought everything to a standstill and provided an opportunity to start afresh. It is a time for redemption and who will be the change agent?
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