Answer: 

Introduction:

Work from Home, also known as Remote work, is a flexible working arrangement that allows an employee to work from a remote location like home instead of in an office environment. It has become a common feature for many offices since the COVID-19 pandemic. Working from home influences both work and life, especially family relationships.

Body:

Impact of WFH on family relations can be seen in both positive and negative aspects.

Positive Impacts:

• Stronger Family Bonds: While working from home, a person spends more time with family which helps in strengthening family bonds. The person also gets a chance to meet various needs of the family without hampering work by using the flexibility to work.
• Proper Attention to Children: Work from home gives adequate time to parents for them to spend with their children, which improves cooperation and understanding between the parents and the children.
• Can better Take Care of Old People: While working from home the younger generation can better take care of their old parents and provide them with the requisite attention.
• Reduced expenditure on travel and rent: The additional disposable income due to work from home is useful for families to improve their standard of living.
• More opportunities for the women: There were challenges like transportation and night work, those can be resolved by it. Women can become financially independent.

Negative Impacts:

• Boundaries between workspace and home get blurred: Many families in smaller homes have found conflicts and resentment to rise in the confined spaces. The blurred boundaries between work and family life causes the negligence of routine domestic works and family members may also feel that the person is always “on call” (available to work), which creates a situation of stress and tension.
• Increased burden on Women: Women are expected to bear the entire burden of the family. This burden has increased dramatically once the entire family started being together for 24 hours for the entire week.
• Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: The physical and emotional trauma faced by women due to husbands being confined in the house was widely captured. According to National Commission for Women (NCW) data, it registered an increase of at least 2.5 times in domestic violence complaints during the nationwide lockdown.
• Strained Marital Relations: Extended periods of confinement within the house raises the likelihood of disputes between husband and wife. This accelerates the process of separation.
• Impact on mental health: The absence of social support and professional development opportunities usually present in a traditional office setting can be a source of frustration for some people. It can also lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness which further hampers family relations.

Conclusion:

As with any socio-economic phenomenon, the impact of WFH on family relationships is mixed. While it has allowed families to have more time together by offering flexibility in work, it has also brought strain and tension in family relations by disturbing the work-life balance. The government and organizations should understand the implications of work from home and ensure that they design policies with society’s interest at the core by pruning the negative effects and boosting the positive ones.

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