The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic forced millions of people to work remotely. Closing down offices and factories made employers allow employees to work from their homes using their internet connection to communicate with other team people.
It’s now 2022, and the pandemic is almost ending, so many employers continued with the practice because they found out this way of working suits both sides. If you’re happy about this idea, you might not know all the negative sides that remote working provides.
In this article, we’re sharing three pros and cons that may explain what working from home feels like. There are some benefits and downsides, just like everything else. Follow up and see what they are and decide what seems like a better idea for yourself.
Pros
Better life-work balance
One of the things that many people working in an office complain about is that their careers prevent them from achieving a perfect work-life balance. Working from home gives you the chance to find time for everything.
You can see your kids more and spend time with them, cook your favorite meals while waiting for an online meeting, or even go on a nature trip while holding your laptop and working on essential tasks. There’s no comparison of life-work balance when handling obligations from home.
No need for overdressing and makeup
Going to an office means you need to look good. You can’t go into the office in pajamas, but you need to suit up, put on some makeup, and set up a perfect hairdo. All these things are meaningless when you’re working from home.
You can freely get up from the bed and punch the work clock. Log in and make some coffee only to drink it in peace without having to talk to anyone early in the morning. You can even shower before work starts and work in your bathrobe, as no one sees you behind the computer.
No time spent commuting
Those living afar spend hours commuting. Going to work and back home may take up to four hours, making the entire day lost. There’s no point in going back and forward because all that’s left is falling asleep.
When working from home, you get all this free time for yourself. You can do anything you want and create a perfectly healthy and enjoyable lifestyle. Four more hours in the day mean so much for everyone.
Cons
You pay for your own electricity
Modern companies tend to provide everything for their employees while in the office. From kitchen supplies and appliances to games that will make them happy. Most importantly, though, everything runs on account of the company.
When you’re home, your computer runs on the power you’re paying for. No company will pay your electricity bill. This may be the case for future work agreements, but no one’s paying for your electricity at the moment. You’ll need to take part of your salary to cover the expenses.
There’s no IT department to handle tech issues
Another thing that the managers in the company will handle for you while at home you’re loft on your own is the connectivity of the equipment needed for work. When you’re connected through the internet and use all kinds of tech items, they need to be connected perfectly and work flawlessly.
In the office, managers will often hire dedicated IT professionals for the job or outsource to some of the companies doing this, like insightit.com.au. However, this is rarely the case at home, and you’ll have to do everything yourself or pay for someone to do it for you.
You often end up working the entire day
Although you most probably have fixed working hours, you’re flexible in getting the job done. If you don’t feel like doing some tasks and ignore them only to dedicate yourself to something less important, you may work the entire day later trying to catch up.
If you can’t create a perfect schedule and follow it, you may struggle to get everything done. This may seriously decrease your life-work balance and throw you off the wanted path. Instead of working non-stop, create a schedule and stick to it.
Conclusion
These points explain how it feels like working from home and in an office. It’s not the same, no doubt, and there are some things that you’ll love and some things you’ll resent. The final point is to think about what fits your working style the most.
If you feel like remote working is your best idea of employment, and risking some of the office benefits, ask your managers to allow you to do it. Many companies involve a hybrid office, working a few days from home and a few in the office. These will surely have an understanding of your needs and wishes.