Before covid 19, working from home was regarded as an excellent perk to have. It is extremely popular among employees as it eliminates the tedious part of dressing up in formal attire and spending hours in transit. This also allows more time to spend with families and friends. But after we were forced to conduct our work from home, questions like lack of social interactions and accountability were put in question. This article will look into the pros and cons of working from home and its effect on your career and social life.
Pros and cons of working from home JobsNearMe
What is work from home?
For some of you who are not aware of the term, work from home jobs are performed from your home or any other place you want. You are usually required to have an internet connection to effectively communicate with your team members and have a fixed schedule of start and finish the workday. Often work starts with a stand-up meeting where everyone shares their plan for the day and discusses any dependency they may have with their colleagues. After the end of the workday, there is usually another meeting discussing what they accomplished and worked on that particular workday. But work from home cultures vary significantly from one organization to another, and they may have specific sets of rules for their employees.
On average, Canadians spend 24 mins commuting to work. In bigger cities like Toronto, it is up to 42 mins, like 1 hour of your work hour spent traveling. One of the main advantages of working from home is that you can eliminate the commute time.
Save on expenses
Working from home also has a significant impact on your monthly expenses. For instance, the fuel cost on commuting can be saved. Expenses on lunch and office clothing can also be kept at a minimum. Another significant saving for working parents is childcare, as you will not require the service being at home.
More time to spend with family
Working remotely also opens up opportunities to spend a lot more time with family. Kids, in particular, have the chance to spend more time with their parents, which they otherwise would not have.
Increased productivity
Although hard to quantify, many employees feel more productive being able to work from home. They have more time to work and have a flexible schedule. The ability to take breaks and spend time with their family helps them focus. They also have less distraction and eagerness to go home.
Opening new opportunities for digital nomads
A digital nomad is a term used to describe people who live in remote places, mostly places with scenic beauty, and work remotely in their home country. Working from home has opened many new job opportunities and job positions that were previously not available. You can apply for jobs that are in different countries altogether. It is easy to become a digital nomad courtesy of remote work.
Reduced absence
The flexibility of working from home allows you to reduce your absence. Be it sick days or casual holidays, you are more likely to take fewer days off, which can help your work life and get incentives and bonuses.
Cons of working from home
Remote work does have some drawbacks, which includes
Increase accountability
There are people you are accountable to in an office environment, and they can supervise your work. Unfortunately, direct supervision is not possible when working from home, which makes you responsible if anything goes wrong. There are situations where it can affect your mental and physical health.
Strict rules
Many organizations have strict rules that require you to keep your web camera or mic on for the entirety of your office hours. This hampers personal space and takes out the joy of working from home, as you constantly feel being watched.
Communication gap
Despite all the project management and meeting tools, nothing can give you the exact feel of working with a team. There can be many call drops and miscommunication, even in extreme cases causing project failure. New or inexperienced employees also face difficulty fitting in as learning new skills gets harder for them.
Technical issues
While working, you will indefinitely face situations that you find really hard to solve. Maybe something is causing the wifi to malfunction, and it is up to you to figure out and solve it. Often it is time-consuming and even expensive on your part.
No balance between work and life
Many employees complain that working from home causes them to blur the gap between work and life. They seem like they are constantly working. They are expected to work overtime given how much time they save on commuting. This unhealthy obsession has caused many employees to find themself continually working and not having any personal time.
Conclusion
As we discussed, working from home has an equal share of pros and cons. In some instances, this is a great perk to have, while in other situations, it’s nothing more than a nuance. In reality, work from home is more than just slipping in your pajamas and attending office meetings while in bed. Working from home requires extreme focus and willpower to separate work life from personal life. Only then can you take full advantage of working from home and take advantage of the added parks that come along with it.
If you are in the market looking for a job, be it full-time or remote, you can check jobsnearme.ca. We have a massive compilation of different jobs with advanced filtering features, helping you narrow down the perfect one that suits your needs.
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