Last Updated on March 20, 2024 by Kravelv
Working from home. It’s something that many people have experienced as of late. With offices out of bounds due to pandemic protocols, employees have had to remain in their houses as they complete their usual work-related tasks.
Yet even before the coronavirus pandemic changed the world, remote work was growing in popularity. After all, there are various advantages gained – both for employers and employees – from taking this approach. It’s not one-sided, however, and there are also negatives to working from home.
The pros of working from home
Greater flexibility
There’s no commute to the office. You can work anywhere in the house. You can take breaks at more convenient times. You can generally work unconventional schedules without issue. Ultimately, being home-based provides significantly better flexibility.
Reduce expenses
An additional benefit of not making your commute to work means you save on all transportation-related expenses. It also saves on expenses like meals, work clothing, and even childcare.
Better work-life balance
By having the opportunity to schedule work around your personal life, you can develop a greater work-life balance. Simply removing your daily commute can free up time to complete essential tasks which improve your lifestyle.
The cons of working from home
Increased isolation
You can see and speak to colleagues over the likes of Zoom, yes, but the feeling of isolation can quickly kick in when working on your own from home. Ensure you schedule frequent outings with family and friends to combat this issue.
Home distractions
Your home is a haven for distractions. There’s the television, the kitchen for snacks, other family members, video games – the list goes on and on. Having a dedicated office space can help with limiting such distractions. On a similar note, one thing that you may have not considered to be a distraction is your internet. It is something that all of us use daily with work and downtime. However, if it is not working efficiently, for instance, it buffers for ages, things are slow to fully load, and so on, this can become distracting, making us look away and do other things as we wait, potentially disrupting work. If this seems to happen frequently, it would be best to run an internet speed test to see how fast it is. If it is not great, then you will need to find a better internet package that can handle your workload and keep you focused on your tasks for the day.
Inconsistent work-life balance
Yes, working from home can lead to a better work-life balance, but it can also have the opposite effect depending on your approach. For instance, you might struggle to have a distinct separation between your personal life and career. To help, create clear boundaries between personal time and work hours, and ensure others in the home are on board.
What if working from home isn’t for you?
What if you don’t want to work from home? What if your employer is continuing to enforce home-based work? What if you’ve simply grown sick of being a freelancer? Whatever the situation, you know it’s affecting your mental health and you want a change – fast.
The good news is there are various jobs available that can get you of the house. If you’re searching for an immediate change with high demand, delivery driver jobs are available. To see this for yourself, the following platform receives thousands of new delivery driver jobs daily: https://www.shiply.com/us/delivery-driver-jobs
Aside from jobs like these, you may consider making a lifestyle change with your current position. Instead of staying home, try and find another place to work from. This could be everything from a local coffee house to an office you rent. While certain benefits are lost, it can often be the best of both worlds.