The Pros and cons of working from home

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home seemed something only freelancers did, an idyllic dream for the majority. Two years down the line, we have all experienced working remotely due to lockdowns and government mandates, and it looks like a mixture of home-based and office-based working could be the new norm.

Hybrid working has pros and cons, like all things. Let’s look at what they are and how you can make this working style work best for you.

Pros

Flexibility over how you work

A major perk of not having to commit to a 9-to-5 desk job is that you can choose how you work and take care of anything that comes up in life, such as a dentist appointment, essential deliveries, or picking the kids up from school. You can make it all work, your deadlines, your family commitments. It’s a massive pro of hybrid working because you will, overall, have a wider bandwidth for managing lots of responsibilities without jeopardizing your job.

No commuting which saves time and money

Some people love their commute; it gives them time to wind down after a long day at work, listen to a podcast, or enjoy a quiet coffee before a morning of meetings. However, it can be expensive.  You can save a lot of money and time when you work from home, even if it’s only for a couple of days a week:

• Less road rage
• Less office attire
• Fewer meal deal lunches
• Fewer lunch-time coffees

Your time is yours.

More time for your personal life and family

Being at home a lot more means you can have more time with your loved ones. This can make a significant difference for children because the family is together. Everybody knows someone whose parent was always working, allowing for a better work-life balance.

Cons

Less time collaborating with colleagues

One of the cons of remote working is having less face time with your colleagues. At the start of the pandemic, this felt like a novelty, but two years in, many people miss office-based camaraderie and being immersed in the company culture. It can be pretty lonely too, especially if you live alone. At the pandemic’s peak, this was a significant issue for many of us, with the edge being taken off only with virtual meetings where we were reminded of the other human beings behind the emails.

No physical separation between work and leisure time

Finding a work-life balance can be hard at the best of times, let alone when working from home.  During the lockdowns, these lines became very blurred – many who work from home reflected how they seemed to find it harder to switch off from work and seemed to be working around the clock. You no longer have that mental and physical separation from your place of work (office) to your place of rest (home). The result is feeling as if you are always at work, making it harder to relax. The way to deal with this? Set boundaries and stick to them. Decide when you will turn off your laptop at the end of the day no matter what; make sure you get out of the house for fresh air and don’t work in bed. Trust us.