Eskom has forced us back to offices

With the isolation brought about by the Covid lockdowns around the world, the way that many of us work changed radically as people set up offices at home and began communicating through cyberspace.

For many companies, it was an opportunity to put in place a hybrid system of employment, where employees divided their working time between home and the office.

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The benefits for both parties were hailed: Better work/life balance for employees, without the stress and expense of daily commuting; greater productivity along with higher morale and some reduced costs for employers.

But now, according to travel planning expert Bonnie Smith, South Africans are being pressured into going back to the old ways.

And it is not the technology which is letting us down, it’s the power supply. Because of the increase in blackouts as Eskom struggles to survive, people are having to consider backup plans… all of which entail considerable expenditure.

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And, even spending a fortune on these systems is no guarantee your electric devices will still work in extended blackouts.

That is forcing many people to go back to the office – because many workplaces have generators and uninterrupted power supply systems. One societal step forward and two steps back. Thanks, Eskom.

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