It’s a typical Monday morning, you wake up (without the help of an alarm clock) at 10:00 AM after a good night sleep. You take a relaxing shower at your own pace, prepare breakfast, read the news, before finally heading to your home-based office.
Working from home sure sounds excellent huh? Studies show that home-based workers tend to be happier, more productive and less likely to quit. 3.9 million Americans reported working from home sometimes or working remotely full-time in 2018. With these numbers only to rise as technology improves we decided to take a closer look at the pros and cons of working from home.
Pros of working from home
1. Flexibility
Flexibility is the biggest advantage of having a home-based office. Knowing your workload you can choose to pace yourself each day or try to finish everything as quickly as possible to enjoy some time off.
Without regular hours to adhere to you can even give yourself a vacation in the middle of the year and later on come to your home and recover the lost time. Regular daily activities become a lot easier like feeding the dog, calling in a plumber, or spending time with the kids.
Having a home office also enhances flexibility in that you can even dictate how you want your office environment to be, from setting the mood, to comfortable lighting and also buying furniture that inspires your spirit.
2. Fewer distractions
A home office limits interruptions that come with impromptu meetings, email chats, and visitors at the office, making you more productive.
3. Less stress & better health
Most working environments come with a lot of pressure, distracting noise, one-size-fits-all lighting and temperature settings, uncomfortable furniture etc. Working at home allows you to fine-tune these environmental factors to your own personal liking. Making your workspace less stressful which in turn makes you more productive and healthy.
4. Zero Commute
Commuting to work daily is stressful, and most people wish they would never wake up to dealing with endless traffic. According to New York Post, the average daily American commute totals approximately 35 minutes. That’s about 152 hours, or 19 full work days a year driving to work in their cars. Working at home saves you time, cost of transportation, car maintenance, as well as insurance cost.
The time saved on the commute alone frees up more time in the day for physical exercise, personal hobbies, improving your physical and mental health.
5. Autonomy
You are your boss, and you can get things done at your own time, especially if you operate differently to how your boss operates. You will, however, need to find a balance completing your tasks on time.
Cons of Working from Home
1. Isolation
Yes, working from home can make you feel lonely and isolated since you away from physical interactions with colleagues. The workplace gives you an excellent opportunity to interact with colleagues and make friend with whom you can share ideas.
2. Challenges Separating home and work
When you are working from home, the temptation to engage in household matters can be overwhelming. You regularly get the urge to play with your kids or pet, fix a quick meal, fix the light bulb, or even go out to socialize when you should be working. You have to master the art of separating your home office with your household duties.
3. Lack of competition
Lack of competition is another con that comes with having a home office. Colleagues and bosses bring out a competitive spirit in you, making you more productive. Since there is no pressure to deliver, you will find no motivation to come up with great ideas, and it's effortless to slip into a slack. You will miss opportunities for promotions as well as career development since bosses are not able to see your dedication when you work from home.
4. Work never ends
Since you are alone, you may feel the constant urge to pressure yourself to work more. You find that you put very many expectations on yourself so that you can prove your skills and abilities. This way, you are unable to find a stable work-life balance, and you keep working endlessly, which is very dangerous.
5. Less Productivity
Here is where your personality comes in that is depending on your style of work. If you are an extrovert and you get energy from socializing with colleagues, you may find working from home a bit challenging as your energy gets drained.
In conclusion
Working from home may seem like a dream come true, but it comes with its own challengers as well. If you are the kind of worker who can keep themselves disciplined to complete the work within deadlines then it can be hugely beneficial. Even though you are working from home there are still the options for short term office rental if you need to use an office space for as quick as an hour to month by month rental contracts. Contact 221 Building today for more information.
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