Today’s confinement is revealing how working and learning from home could improve mental and physical health, increase productivity, and contribute to building a society based on strong moral values, especially adopting the Moroccoan example, writes Abdellah Benahnia. –
We may not be surprised to hear that half of a company’s workers permanently leave their offices, to work instead from home, in the near future. We may also hear that a number of teachers are conducting their classes from their sofa instead of school premises. We might also hear about people “wandering” in the mall, shopping from stores with quick delivery from bed, instead of jostling through crowded streets and navigating the hustle and bustle of transportation.
These are only some of the fantasies that are beginning to appear in the midst of this pandemic, and might soon develop further.
How the coronavirus is already changing the nature of work
Now is perhaps the first time in history that a majority of people have been forced to abandon their offices and stay home. They are certainly and perhaps for the first time in their life, experiencing the benefits of distance work, as well as the advantages of managing and executing agendas and tasks from afar.
They are also testing the benefits of making decisions remotely, with the opportunity to enjoy homemade meals instead of relying on light meals, fast food, and sandwiches from the streets. The confinement is giving them a chance to eat with family and spend more time with loved ones, given that under normal circumstances, some of them would at times not return home until late at night due to pressured working conditions.
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None of us would have imagined that one day parents, children, educators, and officials would all be forced to enjoy the unique opportunity of working from home. Moreover, it is perhaps the first time that some parents are realizing the dangers of their loitering in the streets and other places until late at night, and the impact of this bad habit on their children, family, and community as a whole.
Future studies may show the advantages of distance working and distance learning in gaining time and knowledge for both workers and students, as well as the positive effects of this on the behavior of both children and adults. People young and old have been suffering through constantly traveling to and from school and work, feeling excessive stress due to crowding in the streets, not to mention the difficulty of maintaining regular timing for important daily moments such as meals and prayer.
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Future studies may also show improved productive capacity for young people and adults alike in such circumstances. Educators, nannies, and teachers may give us positive opinions about children’s proficiency in receiving and completing duties under today’s conditions.
Moroccans are glad that the government plans to facilitate remote administrative work.
There is no doubt the Moroccan people are happy to hear the issue of distance work is appearing in parliamentary discussions. They have been hearing about the concept of “approximation of public administration services to citizens,” although reality is showing that Morocco cannot fully apply this concept without a broad dispatch of electronic services. If that is to be the case, many citizens must be involved in parallel training, learning how to rely on those services using their computer or smartphone.
This implies that some administrative employees will not necessarily need to be in their office, but can successfully work from home. The government is discussing the introduction of a decree concerning remote work, by which tasks can be accomplished outside official administrative workplaces. The strategy will require using information and communication technologies to offer better services, and in a much more relaxing atmosphere.
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According to Morocco World News, the government believes that “teleworking” will enable a balance between the needs of the administration on the one hand, mainly represented in the continuity of efficient, effective services, and the conditions of employees on the other hand, with the flexibility it provides in scheduling working hours while maintaining the same average of working hours.
This experience may provide opinions and data indicating the cost-effective nature of working under quarantine, and the extent of the citizens’ ability to perform their duties rapidly and with all the comfort and ease of being at home—despite the difficult circumstances surrounding this situation.
Furthermore, future studies on the current situation may demonstrate that remote work can increase individuals’ profitability as well as corporate revenue. Avoiding congestion and traffic accidents on the roads going to and from work may reduce depression, anxiety, and stress among employees. Concerning digitization, there are many administrative, social, educational, medical, and industrial entities that will enlarge the scope of digitization within their operations. This phenomenon is already making its way to the market and the world of business.
Another benefit of distance work is the high level of productivity among workers. It is a reality that feeling at ease and working in a pleasant atmosphere and environment, free of all sorts of stress and hustle, is a vital factor in raising productivity levels. Doctors and psychiatrists have long attributed mental health to positive working conditions and environments. We are already seeing that they are advocating these principles specifically within the realm of remote work.
There is no doubt that reducing the number of individuals on the streets, roads, and in workplaces (as we have seen these days during the imposed pandemic confinement) would reduce air pollution, especially in cities and crowded neighborhoods. It would also reduce the rates of infectious disease transmission, theft, and many forms of violence and crime.
Future aspirations regarding distance work and remote learning
Since many countries already suffer from the problem of overcrowding in schools, this experience may lead to reevaluating the value of distance education. This could apply at least for some subjects that do not require attendance at the institution, such as in the field of humanities and in some areas of university education. This would inevitably reduce overcrowding in offices and workstations, and contribute to reducing costs and saving energy.
At a time not too far in the future, the world may realize that pushing huge numbers of people to work and study locations every morning and evening, especially in big cities, may be the cause of the spread of infectious diseases, depression, and psychological discomfort.
Keeping children home as much as possible is in itself a mark of progress. Mothers and fathers are currently not given enough time to raise their children, talk to them, and eat all meals with them, unlike previous generations. This is happening at a time when all these problems could be avoided by facilitating and, when appropriate, legalizing remote work in different professional sectors.
If we acted on this, we could gain abundant time and save money, energy, and effort. Most of all, we could contribute to building a civilization and a nation that is productive in the truest sense, armed with science, knowledge, noble ethics, and proper behavior. We could build a civilization in which the new generation’s ethics and behavior are based on honesty and piety, love, coexistence, interdependence, tolerance, happiness, and peace and safety.
Dr Abdellah Benahnia is an international researcher and consultant in education, training, and culture.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry