Last week I discussed the advantages of working from home. This week, I am going to talk about the disadvantages so you can decide which working style works for you.
First, let’s remember the advantages of working from home. When you work from home, you have more flexibility in terms of managing your time as well as more convenience. You can also get rid of hidden costs such as transportation and you have fewer distractions from your coworkers. You can avoid unimportant meetings and use this time to finish up your work. Moreover, when you work from home, you have better work-life balance and you can be healthier since you can cook for yourself rather than snacking at your desk.
You have seen some of the advantages of working from home. However, you should always look at the other side of the coin before making your decision. Below you can find the disadvantages of working from home. Read below and decide which one is better for you.
1. Isolation: An office is a workplace where you can meet with other people, socialize and chit-chat. However, when you work from home, you have less social interaction. You generally interact with others through phone or video conference. Therefore, you may start to feel lonely after a while and miss your life in the office.
2. High self motivation required: When you are working from home, you won’t have a boss standing on top of your shoulder and waiting for you to finish that report. While not everyone needs a boss like this to finish their tasks by the deadline, you still need to have a lot of self discipline and motivation to always stay on top of your to-do list.
3. Distractions: While there are distractions in the office because of coworkers, the distractions of working from home are much different. You can get distracted from your neighbors, kids or other family members. You need to make sure that they know you are actually working and you are unavailable when you are working from home so they don’t distract you. Also, running errands at home such as laundry, washing the dishes, etc. can be other distractions to your work.
4. Danger of not getting promoted: When you are out of site, you can be out of mind as well. Therefore, your boss may forget you and you can be overlooked for promotion. However, you can avoid this situation with regular office visits such as once a week or twice a month. By these visits, you can remind yourself to your coworkers and especially to your boss and prove your dedication to your career.
