Before the pandemic started, working from home was a dream for many. But today, some people want to return to the office. In this article we discuss The Pros and Cons of Working from Home.
Why has the situation changed that much? The forced shift to remote work mode has made office employees realize that working from home had been romanticized and that it has its cons.
Do you wonder whether working from home will make you happy? Read this article to learn more about the pros and cons of working from home, and find the answer to your question.
Table of Contents
The Pros of Working From Home
Working from home can benefit your life a lot. Let’s discuss the advantages of this work mode in more detail.
Zero Commute Time
Have you ever thought about how much time you waste commuting to work?
Let’s take a look at statistics. The average one-way commute time is 26.1 minutes. This means that if you commute to the office five days a week, the roundtrips add up to 4.35 hours a week or 200 hours (nearly nine days) per year.
And what if you live on the outskirts? Your one-way commute time is around one hour. Round trips to the office and back take you more than 400 hours per year!
If you start working from home, you will win these precious hours back. Since your “new office” will be located right in your house, it will take you a second to get to your desk.
Time is the most valuable resource, and you should use it wisely. If you feel like a slave to your commute, opt for remote work – it will change your life for the better. You will have more time for the following activities:
- Meetings with your friends and family
- Conversations with your spouse
- Walking and playing with your dog
- Learning new skills
- Sports
- Hobbies
- Meditation
- Reading
- Journaling
Save Money
Naturally, if you stay at home, you will save not only your time but also your money. Take a look at the list of costs you can cut:
- Transportation expenditures, including gas and motor oil
- Parking fees (if any)
- New clothing, accessories, cosmetics
- Fancy coffee
- Lunch at expensive restaurants
Working from home allows you to optimize the way you spend and save money. It means you can accumulate more money in your bank accounts without scarifying the things you need.
Just imagine how much money you will save if you buy two comfy hoodies instead of dozens of different shirts, ties, and office suits. Think about how much money you will keep in your pocket if you stop paying those enormous parking fees.
Everyone who starts working from home says that the new work mode positively influences their spending/saving balance. So you can expect that remote work will help you save more money in a shorter period of time.
Do you dream of trying out expensive extreme sports? Do you want to take your spouse to the Maldives? Choose to work from home, and you will get one step closer to your dreams.
Get Enough Sleep
Are you a night owl? Do you hate to get up early?
We have good news for you. Once you start working from home, you will be able to adjust your sleep and wake-up schedule.
Since you don’t need to commute to work, you can wake up one or even two hours later than you used to. Even more, if you don’t need to attend any virtual meetings, you can sleep until noon and start working on your tasks in the evening.
Do you know what the best part of working from home is? You can take a nap any time you are not busy with virtual meetings and urgent tasks. It’s a great way to recharge your mind and body and boost your performance.
Do you feel tired all the time and dream of getting enough sleep? Remote work is the best solution for you.
Once you start working from home and get enough sleep, your productivity will increase, and your health will improve. You will become a happier person and a more effective professional.
Flexibility
Working from home is all about flexibility. Remote work gives you the flexibility to attend daytime events and classes and take care of appointments and errands.
Be honest with yourself. You want to get out of the trap of the 9 to 5 office job.
Once you relocate your “office” to your home, you will have enough flexibility to manage your schedule in the way you like it. You will not need to ask your boss for a day off to accompany your kid to the school event. You will be able to attend that hot yoga class that starts at 4 p.m.
You will not miss any great opportunities. You will start living your life to the fullest.
Lower Stress Levels
Workplace stress negatively affects your health and productivity. And you can’t ignore this problem. You need to minimize stress levels to protect your mental and physical health.
Working from home is less stressful than working from the office because it allows you to avoid the following:
- The stress of sitting in traffic
- Interpersonal conflicts with colleagues and supervisors
- Conflicts with random people on the way to the office (e.g., conflict with a security guard at the entrance of the office facility)
- Bullying and harassment
- Rumors and breaking news
- Concerns regarding exposure to unpleasant conditions (e.g., crowding, smells, etc.)
- Concerns regarding workplace exposure to COVID-19, etc.
When you stay at home, you protect yourself from exposure to conflicts and dangers. You feel safe and relaxed, and that positively influences your mental health and your productivity.
Eat Healthily
Have you tried to change your lifestyle and start eating more healthily? Chances are your first attempt failed because you worked at the office:
- You didn’t have enough time to cook healthy meals
- Your colleagues used to invite you for lunch at fast-food restaurants
- You didn’t have enough will power to say “no” to birthday cakes and donuts served at the office.
- You were exposed to junk food ads
Working from home allows you to change your lifestyle and be less dependent on others. You can use your launch breaks for cooking healthy meals for your family and control the quality of the products you are using. It’s a great advantage of working from home mode, isn’t it?
The Cons of Working From Home
Even though working from home can benefit you in many ways, there is another side of the coin. Let’s discuss the cons of working from home in detail.
Lack of Human Interaction
Well, if you are an introvert, then chances are you will not feel isolated working from home.
But if you are an extrovert, and you like to be around people, it will be challenging for you to cope with the lack of human interaction. Just imagine:
- You will not participate in water cooler chats
- You will not have the opportunity to enjoy small talk with a security guard, delivery guy, or barista
- You will not have lunch with your co-workers
Solution
If you are an extrovert who wants to work from home, you should do the following:
- Seek out interactive experiences
- Reach out to your colleagues when you need to share your ideas
- Use videoconferencing tools when possible
- Seek the feedback you need.
Blurred Work-Life Balance
Flexibility is a good thing. However, you should understand that it does not always work in your favor.
When your kids, family, and clients know that you are available 24/7, the line between work and life is getting blurred. You need to set boundaries and schedule your day to ensure that you will have enough time to rest and unwind from work. Otherwise, your productivity will drop, and you will experience burnout.
Solution
- Set clear boundaries with your kids. Explain to them why they shouldn’t distract you from work. Make it clear for your kids when mommy is and isn’t available to play games and have fun.
- Discuss your work schedule with your boss and clients. Make it clear to them that you will not reply to their calls and emails after 7 p.m.
- Talk to your friends and family, who always distract you from work. Ask them not to disturb you during the day if there is no urgency.
Distractions
Many people say that they can’t focus on the task when working from home. They get distracted by small things like a dirty cup that needs to be washed or a dying flower that needs to be watered.
Another problem is that when people work from home, they tend to overuse social media and spend too much time online. When you know that your boss doesn’t watch what you are doing, you will likely get distracted by social media notifications and watch hilarious cat videos on YouTube.
Solution
Some people say that it’s impossible to stay productive while working from home. But it’s not true. If you organize your work the right way, you will be able to take your productivity to the next level.
- Find a spot in your house where nothing will distract you from work. Set up a home workspace.
- Use apps that block social media and other websites. Don’t allow fun memes and non-important text messages to distract you from work.
- Try out a Pomodoro technique or similar time management techniques to boost your concentration.
Lack of Inspiration
Working from home makes every day look the same. If you don’t leave your house for work and stay 24/7 inside, you may experience boredom and a lack of inspiration.
Solution
Let’s face it. You don’t need to go to the office to find inspiration. If you want to live a more fulfilling life, do the following:
- Go for a walk or go jogging every morning
- Travel as often as possible
- Find a new hobby
- Going in for sports
- Find like-minded people online and offline (for instance, join a book club)
Miscommunications Caused by Misread Cues
Modern communication tools allow us to stay connected with our co-workers and clients when we work remotely. And that’s great.
But the problem is that online communication differs from face-to-face communication – it lacks non-verbal cues. For this reason, miscommunications in the virtual workplace happen pretty often.
Solution
What can you do to prevent miscommunications caused by misread cues?
- When you are writing an email or text message, try to articulate your ideas as clearly as possible.
- Ask your co-workers and clients additional questions to ensure that you have the whole story and understand it thoroughly.
- Turn on your camera and encourage your co-workers and clients to do the same. It will allow you to make use of non-verbal communication so you will understand your interlocutors better.
- Use online grammar checkers to keep your writing free from spelling errors and typos that may cause miscommunication.
Wrapping Up
The pros of working from home outweigh its cons.
We highly suggest you give it a try and set up a home workspace.
Use this opportunity to transform the way you work and start living a more fulfilling life.
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Author Bio
Marques Coleman has a background in education and marketing. Currently, he works as a freelance editor for a flashcard and essay database https://subjecto.com/essay-samples/. He strives to help students, freelancers, and business owners adjust to the new normal and get the most out of distance learning and remote working.