Working from home was much less common just a few years ago. Now, much of the workforce that once went into the office does so only part-time or only on special occasions. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 60% of the companies that had to adopt remote work during the pandemic plan to keep it going forward.
If you have yet to work from home and are considering a job that offers remote work, you may be wondering if it is a good fit for you. Or you may think it is the ideal job. But as many people find out when they first take a remote job, there are both pros and cons. Read on to find out what the most common are.
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Working from Home: Pros and Cons
Here are some of the most common advantages and disadvantages that employees experience when they work from home. When deciding whether you should take a remote or hybrid job, you can use this list as a starting point and determine how each pro and con stacks up in your list of priorities.
Pro: No Daily Commute
Not having to drive back and forth from work every day is a big benefit to working from home, especially if you have a long commute. The hours you can save by not commuting to and from work every day can be used to get extra sleep, get more done around the house, or catch up on other obligations.
It also means fewer miles put on your car, which will save you money on gas, maintenance, and car insurance.
And finally, you simply don’t have to deal with the traffic and gridlock anymore.
Con: Overworking
While the commute may save you time, some people have a tendency to use that extra time to work even more. Or when the time comes when they would normally leave the office, they will be so focused in their home office environment they just keep working until a task is done.
Creating a standard routine for your WFH day can help prevent overworking. Set a time to start and a time to call it a day, and stick to it when you can, because there is more to life than work.s
Pro: Less Stress and More Focus
When you are in the office, it can be hard to set your own schedule. You can try, but just as decide it is time for heads-down work, you can count on a colleague asking a question or your boss handing you a new list of things to do. Focus can be hard when you are working in the office.
Working from home removes these distractions, and most remote workers say that they can be more productive working from home because they can focus.
Con: Loneliness
Working remotely means that you will be more isolated during the workday and will have fewer random social interactions. After all, who are you going to run into on the walk from your bedroom to your home office?
But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can use the extra time that working from home gives you to fill this missing social part of your life by joining local meetups or taking a class to meet new people and build a true social life.
Pro: Better Work/Life Balance
According to the 2019 State of Remote Work report, 91% of remote workers said their top reason for deciding to work remotely was a better work/life balance. Remote work provides a lot of flexibility that allows employees to better manage all of their responsibilities, whether they are work-related or personal.
When you take a break from your home office, you have a lot of options. You can take a walk around the block or meditate to clear your mind. WFH gives you the freedom to structure your 9-to-5 day to fit your life.
Con: Company Culture Can Suffer
When everyone in a business is working from the office, they naturally get to know one another in the breakroom, the hallways, or the neighboring cubicles. This is not the case with remote work, and company culture needs to be nurtured intentionally.
This means more scheduled meetings, better remote working technology, and employee outings to cultivate company culture.
Pro: Flexible Schedule
Even a workaholic has obligations outside of their day job, and remote work gives employees more time and freedom to manage all their responsibilities. Depending on the remote work policy of the business, employees at least get their commute time back to do more with their day.
Some organizations offer an even more flexible remote policy and allow workers to set their schedule for the day and take time during the day for appointments.
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A virtual phone system like the one that comes with every vanity toll-free number you get from 800.com is another pro to working from home. A virtual phone system will equip your remote team to communicate seamlessly with each other and customers via the internet, so they can do it from anywhere, whether it is in the office, at home, or on the road.
If you don’t have one, get your vanity number today, along with a free virtual phone system that includes features like call forwarding, call tracking, call analytics, and business texting. And add another advantage to working from home.
