Coronavirus Opinion

Pandemic work flexibility should continue post-pandemic

Pandemic work flexibility should continue post-pandemic

Juana Garcia/ The Cougar

As life starts to become post-pandemic, jobs and schools should continue to be flexible as they were in the last year and a half. 

Many jobs are now asking their employees to come back to work just as many universities are asking their students back for in-person learning. Jobs and school should continue to be flexible. People who prefer to be remote should be able to stay remote. 

Despite the pandemic causing a lot of bad in people’s lives, there were some silver linings for those working and learning remotely. For some, working from home was a blessing. It allowed people to get a lot more done during the day. You could work for a bit, throw some laundry into the washing machine, go for a walk and then get back to work.

It’s not just convenient, many disabled people have to work remotely in order to make money.  A lot of buildings aren’t super accessible and some people’s disabilities make it difficult to leave their house or even their bed. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still bills to pay. 

Although people can get disability benefits, those benefits aren’t a lot when you factor in that disabled people may often have to pay for various medications and healthcare.

Many disabled people still need to work and working remotely can allow them to do that. Many jobs are starting to realize that people don’t necessarily have to come into the office every day to stay productive.

Boston University is allowing eligible staff to work remotely up to two days a week. Adobe is continuing to allow remote work post-pandemic as well. Some jobs you need to be in person for, but not every job. 

College campuses have a lot of accessibility issues. Not only that but sometimes it’s hard for students to make every class. Many students have families and jobs and their schedule doesn’t always work out. While universities usually have online classes, they’re not always available for every class. 

Professors and schools should be understanding of students as they were during this pandemic. This was a blessing to students, many of whom struggled to get through school during the stress of a pandemic. 

During the pandemic, a lot of managers and professors learned compassion on a new level and that should continue. Remote work should be available for jobs that can have it and schools should be flexible with their students.

Anna Baker is an English senior who can be reached at [email protected]

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