Opportunities to work remotely are on the rise
There has been much debate about whether or not workers are actually more productive when they’re working from home as opposed to working in an office. Of course, there are pros and cons to each, and depending on the type of work you’re doing there may be benefits for each setting.
The Pros
Missing the Regular Office Stuff
There are the typical office things that everyone has to encounter, no matter what type of office you work in or what field you’re in. First off, you can stay far from traffic and the daily commute. So, you can get your day started on time, at the same time every day, regardless of how traffic is flowing.
Second, you won’t have to worry about dressing up each day, so you can push the suits and heels aside and put on whatever you feel most comfortable in that day. And, of course, the most dreaded of all the regular office happenings – the meeting. Working from home means you can skip sitting in on those long, drawn-out sessions.
“Regular office expenses, like rental space, utilities, and even furniture, can be spared when you have an at-home workforce. For a start-up company looking to keep costs at a minimum, this may be a great option,” explains Startup Manager Thomas Nunez.
Flexibility in Hours
Some people just don’t feel most productive between the hours of 9-5. So, what’s the benefit in dragging them into an office to work those hours, if you’re not getting the most out of them? Being able to work from home means being able to clock-in during the hours you’re most productive. Plus, if they’re starting to feel overwhelmed or having a mental block, they can put work on pause, take a break and come back to it when they’re ready. In reality, what’s the point of having an unproductive person sitting at a desk, simply because it’s falling in between a given time range?
Built-In Child Care
Finding reliable, affordable childcare can be a serious challenge. But, when you’re working from home, it may just go hand-in-hand. Of course, you’ll still have to get your work done, so it can’t all be Legos and The Wiggles, but if you’re able to have flexible hours, you may be able to get the best of both worlds – and get a few hours of Playdoh time in too!
The Cons
Regular Life Stuff
No matter how focused you may be, there are always the things from everyday life that somehow seem to sneak their way into our days. Whether it’s an unexpected knock at the door or a sick kid that had to stay home from school, distractions always seem to find a way to creep into our workdays. And, even when there aren’t the things that work their way in, there’s always Netflix, YouTube, and the refrigerator just sitting on the sidelines waiting for you to show any signs of needing a distraction.
Dedicated Office Space
If you’re regularly working from home, you will want to have a dedicated space for work, so that your work life is not overflowing into your daily life. For some, this may create a problem if they are living in a smaller space and don’t have the room to dedicate to work. Sometimes a dining room table or coffee table will suffice for a short time, but over the long term, you’ll want a space that is strictly work.
Never Really Leaving Work Behind
No matter what time you clock out, if a great idea hits you after hours, or if you suddenly realize you forgot to get something done, work is sitting right there waiting for you. “The idea of always being readily available to work can create a high level of stress, and even resentment, for employees. It’s important that they’re able to disconnect from work and have a life that is separate,” says Linda Soules, team lead.
In a sense, it’s always there and you’ve got to have the self-control to distance yourself. There’s no longer the physical distance between yourself and work, where you actually have to drive to get there, so it’s important to maintain that separation.
The Best Way to Get the Answer
Regardless of what surveys or studies or other research shows, the best way to see how working from home works for you or your business is to actually go ahead and test it out. Doing a split test can be a good way of measuring productivity both inside the office and at home. Even just a week or two can be a good indicator of what can be expected regularly.
Whether working from home will suit your company and workforce, and will make things more productive is entirely dependent on the people you’re working with and the work being done. Testing things out is the best indicator of whether or not it will work in the end. But, if you’re able to improve productivity simply by shifting the workspace, it seems like a very easy solution to a difficult problem.
Written by: Martha Jameson
Before becoming content editor and proofreader at Essay Help and PhD Kingdom, Martha Jameson, was a web designer, manager, and writer for AcademicBrits. Throughout her various roles, her main goals remain the same – to share her experience, motivation, and knowledge with her readers.
