Let’s be honest. This work-from-home culture that we perhaps craved for at some point in our lives has now become passé. And why not? After all, it has snatched the normal me-time from our lives and caused most to function in the typical work mode! Even if offices wore a dull, formal look, the professional vibe exuded from there certainly helped keep your personal lives separate.
Thanks to COVID-19, social norms are no longer the same. Distancing is a motto. Audio and video calls, conferences, and meetings occupy the lion’s share of the work, and we are confined to our homes – solitude, to be precise. It might just make you smile for a change in the otherwise drab lives, seeing Twitter’s compilation of bizarre work-from-home fails.
Tangled Teleconferences
WFH meetings are like- “Sorry, where was I?”… “No, what did you say? I’m sorry I didn’t follow?”… “Were you saying something?”… “Yes, yes, I can hear you, go ahead… I’m listening.” Seems familiar? Okay, now picture this- *4 or 5 people speaking simultaneously*… *pin-drop silence for 10 seconds*. If all these are known territories to you, then yes, you’re one of the many victims of the much-dreaded start-and-stop weird teleconference in the WFH mode.
Frequent one-liner, phrases, and then apologies – the cycle is never-ending! To make a point amongst your colleagues, decide when you’ll speak and choose the moment accordingly. Rather than jumping in to put across a point, follow the pattern and speak sense, exactly when all other diplomatic colleagues finish apologizing.
No One Hears You, When At Home
Just in case you found a joke or a meme to laugh at and wanted some company, you turn around to call and find you’re at home. Well, this is a common phenomenon. You miss your co-workers, at least when it comes to quick gossip or catching up on coffee at the café.
Besides, if you’ve been one of those who never missed a chance to crack up when somebody yawned without covering his or her mouth or catching the thief who took a bite regularly from your lunch, then it’s evident you might be feeling the angst all the more. Probably when we head to our offices again, we can relive these moments or appreciate our colleagues again. Frankly speaking, that looks unlikely.
Strange Pictures And Backgrounds
In a bid to be unique, you, your colleague, or your boss might have turned on a setting. And now, you might be struggling as you try to figure out how to put it off. So even when you so badly wish to turn off the weird background or the choice of picture amidst a serious meeting, you can’t. It’s funny, no doubt, for the others in the meeting will visualize you as nothing but the picture chosen at that time.
Similar to these are filters, which can be activated likewise. You possibly have no idea why this filter even exists and what prompted you to click on it, yet you did and suffered the consequences for the next 20 or 30 minutes. Years later, we might narrate stories to our grandchildren about this great pandemic of ’20 and mention these delightful moments. Who knows!
Makeshift Office Letting You Down
Not everyone had a dedicated office space now, unlike the one we had before the lockdown. And that forced most of us to make some quick arrangements with the minimalistic resources at our disposal. While a few companies did pay their employees to set up a home office, not every company followed the trend. And thus, most employees had to use a make-shift workstation.
Whether you were lucky or not, you can’t rule out that empty beer bottles or cigarette packets won’t be around the desk. Or possibly the closest thing near the computer chair and table is the sensational magazine you were reading up late at night! Make it a point to move these magazines and posters from sight. That way, you would avoid hurting someone or embarrassing yourself during one of the many office video calls. It would be a great idea to leave some motivational books, magazines, and posters around, though!
And there’s no end to the list of WFH fails. Don’t believe it? Just take a look at your social media feed, and you will come across thousands of hilarious WFH fails and ROFL moments.