The Pros and Cons of Working from Home

To many people, working from home could be considered a luxury. Granted, this may be due to the fact that most people have a long daily commute to work! But what are the Pros and Cons of working from home? Is the grass greener on the other side? Let’s begin with the positive aspects of working from home.

• Greater Flexibility

Working from home grants you more of an opportunity to work during your most productive times. There is no formal dress code either, meaning you can be comfortable whilst completing your work!

• Closer to Family

For some, being near their family can provide a sense of calm and reduced stress/anxiety that cannot be obtained from co-workers in a workplace. There is also a practical aspect for some who work from home, e.g. parents with young children – it can put their minds as ease to know they are close by if they are needed.

• No Long Commute to Work

By working from home you save yourself time and money from travelling to and from work. Also, commuting to work, for many, can add extra stress to their working day, making them feel tired and fatigued before even begin the working day! But with no commute, you can eliminate this form of stress from affecting your work, and your day.

• Improved Work/Life Balance

While we are not suggesting that working from home is an easier job (for many it involves longer hours than your typical 9-5) it does provide you with a bit of extra time that you would not otherwise have at your disposal if you commuted to and from work daily. Thus, you have an opportunity to have more of a work/life balance in comparison to someone whose daily commute would clock up to over 90 minutes!

Having a work/life balance is something everyone needs to focus on, but many forget. Many people throw themselves into their work and forget the importance of taking a break due to aspects of work such as stress and never-ending deadlines. For people working from home, capitalising on the extra time they have from not commuting to their workplace is a great way for them to create more of an optimal work/life balance!

Now that we have discussed some of the more positive aspects of working from home, here are a few constraints that come with it.

• It Can be Isolating/Lonely

Some people (myself included) work better surrounded by other co-workers and noise. Therefore, for those people, working from home can be considered quite lonely/isolating.

• Distractions

It can be difficult to stay focused when working at home, as many different factors such as children, family or neighbours can cause you to find yourself spending more time away from the desk than you would while working in an office.

• Danger of Being Overlooked in Terms of Career Progression

It’s not always going to occur, but in certain cases, individuals who work from home can find themselves overlooked by organisations when considering staff for promotions within the company. This could be remedied with scheduled visits to the company’s offices and open communication with management.

• Difficult to Stop Working

When we step into our workplace, we enter a space where we have work associated with it. When working from home, it can be difficult to detach yourself from the working aspect of your home and your personal life.

• Networking and Work-based Relationship Building Can Be More Difficult

For many, trust is difficult to build without face-to-face interaction. Due to this, it can be difficult to effectively network and build trust in work-based relationships for some when working from home. Having relationships with co-workers can boost morale, and provide a sense of community to people.  Without this, (reverting to the first con mentioned) it can be quite lonely for some who are working from home.

Here at VOS, we understand that working from home is not for everyone, but the pros and cons discussed above show the good, and the bad, aspects of working from home. Do you work from home? Do you agree with the Pros and Cons listed here? Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear your feedback!

If anything in this article was of interest to you and you would like further information or details on any aspect of it, please don’t hesitate to contact us on info@vos.ie.