Advantages and Disadvantages of Working from Home

Given the recent events of the world, many Americans are either working from home or unemployed. Many unemployed Americans are also looking into safer ways to work so they are looking for at-home opportunities more than ever! However, many people should know what the advantages and disadvantages are for when it comes to working from home.

Some Advantages:

1. Save Money on Commute

One of the major benefits is the amount of money you will save when working from home. You won’t be driving nearly as much, you won’t stop and get food as much, so overall your savings can be hundreds or even thousands over the time you work from home! You also get a little bit of a mental break because normally when morning traffic or evening traffic would prevent you from getting home right away, you are already there! You don’t have to deal with that stress.

2. Better Time Management

While people need to stick to a strict schedule when they work outside of the home, the case isn’t the same when you’re working from home. In fact, if you normally start work at 9 but had to leave at 7 to account for parking, traffic, and getting into the office, you can wake up a lot later and still start your day at 9. You also save that time when you’re done work so overall you can save hours from commuting and use that time in other ways like spending time with family or giving yourself some care.

3. Comfort

You can forget about having to wear stuffy work clothes. In fact, you will be able to wear whatever you want! Throw on some sweats and slippers and go about your day. You can even treat yourself to other luxuries like getting food whenever you’re hungry, drinking tea on the job, and more. You also have the ability to make this workspace your own. If you’re sitting on the couch and that becomes uncomfortable, you can try sitting in your kitchen and do what you want. If you even want a break from working inside, you can bring your laptop outside and enjoy the nice weather!

Some Disadvantages:

1. Less Socializing

While it may be nice working from home to enjoy your own space, you may have too much alone time. Humans are social creatures so it can be hard not seeing your friends in person. You may start to realize that you took lunch breaks with your friends, or happy hour after work for granted.

2. Feeling Obligated to Work

While it may be good that you feel obligated to work all the time, it can take a toll on your mental health. In fact, many people that work from home don’t know when to turn it off. The best rule of thumb that you can do while working from home is to commit to the same work hours as you would if you were in a physical office or whatever is specified in your company contract.

3. Hard to Maintain Focus

While it is nice to be at home, you can easily get distracted. You may start playing with pets, watching TV, cooking, or just doing anything besides work. You need to stay disciplined when working and act as though you were in an office. You can enjoy the luxuries of comfort, but not too much to a point that it affects your work. When you do get distracted, that can take a real toll on your productivity.

Overall

Working from home has both advantages and disadvantages. You need to keep in mind how you are as a person and see if you are mentally prepared to take on that task if you are looking for a new job at home. If your normal physical job has moved over to in-home procedures and you don’t have a say in the environment change, then you should practice mental exercises to keep yourself in the best position possible.