It’s time for workers to be compensated for home office and childcare expenses, travel expenses and mental health support

Now is the time for workers to use their leverage. It’s a hot job market; businesses need to hire and this is your chance to ask for what you want, want, and most importantly, deserve. This includes being compensated for all the things you do that are not properly compensated.

Companies have already conceded that not everyone will return to the office five days a week. The hybrid working model, in which employees will only be in an office a few or three days a week, is the new normal. In addition to home days, a large number of people will only accept remote work. If their company doesn’t offer it, they will look elsewhere for opportunities. When the job market is doing well, people have that ability. Change is happening quickly, as we learned during the pandemic, so you need to act now before the window closes.

It’s interesting that we’ve gotten used to the way businesses take advantage of us. When you take a step back and think about your way of working, there are so many cases where workers are wronged.

Home office expenses

It’s great that we can now work remotely partially or all of the time. The costs associated with this activity are high. Working from home involves the purchase of a computer, smartphone, furniture, and ergonomic accessories, such as desks and chairs. You’ve probably upgraded your laptop, your internet connection, and added a new router. Then there’s the cost of a ring light and microphone for video calls, as well as the electricity you burn. It is a rarity for companies to collect, reimburse or offer some kind of allowance for these expenses. The costs are being passed on to the workers, which does not seem fair or just. It’s even worse when telecommuters feel the pressure to work overtime during the week and on weekends, and managers don’t hesitate to offer financial compensation to reward them for their efforts.

Reimbursement for travel

Millions of Americans go to work. Many of them travel from the suburbs to the big cities. like New York or San Francisco. A round trip can take up to three hours. Either sit in the congested traffic or take public transport, crushed on overcrowded and overcrowded trains and buses. It is not a pleasant and expensive experience too. Tolls and bus or train tickets add up. If you drive your car is worn out, not to mention your own sanity. Although you are not physically in an office, you are working. Driving is part of your work day, not fun. Wouldn’t it be reasonable and fair for companies to pay you for your time and expenses, which amount to several thousand dollars a year?

Which holiday ?

In a so-called civilized society, how can we reconcile workers who only benefit from two weeks’ leave? We are so used to having only a short time away from the office that we accept it as set in stone.

We have finally become open to talking about mental and emotional health issues. If companies really cared about you, why would there be so few days off? How? ‘Or’ What Can a person really decompress, relax and unwind when they have to constantly work? It’s impossible. The pressure of being available all the time means you can’t even enjoy your meager two or three weeks of vacation.

By forcing people to work most of their waking hours, this is tantamount to torturing them. During the pandemic, we saw studies showing anxiety, stress, burnout, depression and feelings of isolation to be at frightening heights. Without repression, that will not change.

Mental health assistance and childcare

For some reason, business executives claim that their employees don’t have children, family members to care for, or life outside of the office. It is convenient for them to ignore this reality. An empathetic leader would recognize that parents of young children need to balance childcare, getting them to and from school and all other day-to-day obligations.

Some people have mental, emotional, or physical health issues, but feel they need to keep their mouths shut for fear of being judged. For many, it is an everyday struggle. Compassionate companies might reach out to their workers and ask them how they are doing and what the company can do to help them.

It would not take too much time and money to meet these challenges. Instead of forcing a working mom to stress out every morning, allow her to start work at 10 or 11 a.m., which gives her plenty of time to drop her child off at daycare or school. Without fear of invoking the boss’s fury by coming “late”, the working mom could be more relaxed and do her job more efficiently without all the excess pressure and stress. This is just one example. There are so many people who face their own challenges, which could easily be overcome by companies that adapt to the needs of employees. Paying for child care and mental health assistance would go a long way in making employees feel valued.

We are in a period when the workers have the power. In a busy labor market, employees have choices. If we don’t show them love, they will leave and join a company that cares about them. If rude middle managers think they’re smart by not paying for home offices, travel time and costs, childcare, days off, and mental health issues, they’re just doing it. delude yourself. People will only put up with mistreatment and financial abuse for so long.