The freedom of remote work from home is certainly alluring. However, you may find just as many cons as pros when it comes to leaving office life.
Work from home jobs requires you to self-manage. You may have the flexibility to set your own schedule, which can be risky if you procrastinate. You may not be a good candidate for remote work if you are the type of worker who needs motivation or supervision to stay focused.
You may find it difficult to separate work time from home time while working from home. It may be simpler to focus on your job while in an office and on your family when at home. But when you work from home, those lines can become blurry.
Likewise, you may discover there are more distractions when you work at home. Children, pets, and even spouses can interrupt you while you work. Or worse, they can pop up during a telecommute meeting. Imagine your dog barking while doing a presentation for your boss.
Conversely, if you live alone, you might find remote work isolating. Your workplace may be your main source of socialization, and taking that away could leave you feeling lonely.
While it is certainly more convenient to schedule appointments during normal business hours, you may need to make up the time later. You can quickly find yourself behind at work if you do not manage your time well.
Staring at a screen all day can make you feel more fatigued than if you were speaking face-to-face with someone. Likewise, you may miss the direct human interaction if you only communicate with your coworkers through applications. For instance, “watercooler talk” may disappear, and your relationships with your colleagues can diminish as a result.
Similarly, casual conversation in the office is how many workers get to know one another and learn information about the company. For example, an employee who normally would not have time with upper management may be able to share ideas after running into a supervisor in the hall.
Some advantages of casual workplace chats include the following:
- Builds company culture
- Improves employee retention
- Increased collaboration
- Higher productivity
- Generation of ideas and solutions
- Expands employee engagement
Speaking of communication; emails and texts may not fully explain instructions, and sending emails with questions back and forth can be time-consuming. Without message notifications, your inquiries could sit in an inbox for hours before you receive a response.
You can counter these by making some adjustments to your home workspace and work practices. The next tips can help you make the most out of working from home.
By Admin –
