Working From Home: The Pros, the Cons and the Lessons Learned

27 May Working From Home: The Pros, the Cons and the Lessons Learned

Working from home was once thought to be a luxury reserved for freelancers and jobs involving a high degree of flexibility.

As a result of Covid-19 however, it’s now become the new normal across all major industries. Trial and error is the foundation of all new things, and working from home is no exception.

WHAT ARE SOME PROS OF WORKING FROM HOME FOR EMPLOYEES?

Working from home eliminates a number of barriers that make working from the office difficult. Not only will you save time and money, but also the mental stress that comes with a traditional 9-5 job setting.

1. SAVE TIME AND MONEY ON TRANSPORTATION

Eliminating the commute to work has a number of long-term benefits, including savings on transportation, fuel, vehicle maintenance, meals, and so on. You’ll also save a significant amount of time. In other words, you can afford to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock!

2. HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR WORK

Say goodbye to micromanagement, clocking in and out of work, and a variety of work protocols that simply can’t exist in a remote working environment. You’ll begin to experience increased autonomy and creative freedom that you may not have experienced in a physical work space.

3. GAIN FLEXIBILITY AT WORK

Working from home allows you to have more flexible hours, enabling you to spend more time with your loved ones and pursue your hobbies. For instance, you’ll now have the liberty to try out new recipes in the kitchen between your virtual meetings.

WHAT ARE SOME CONS OF WORKING FROM HOME FOR EMPLOYEES?

Now that we’ve gone over the benefits of working from home, it’s time to weigh them against the drawbacks.  Like anything else, remote work isn’t without its flaws. In the end – it’s up to you to decide if the pros outweigh the cons and vice versa.

1. INCREASED FEELINGS OF ISOLATION

Working long hours with no face-to-face discussions or social interaction with team members can be incredibly hard. The prolonged confinement in your own space can cause cabin fever among many other mental health challenges.

2. LACK OF EQUIPMENTS 

To work more efficiently, you may require specific equipment, softwares, and gadgets that are typically available within reach at work. The absence of these tools may reduce the quality of your work, lengthen the time required to complete your tasks, and complicate the workflow between you and your teammates.

3. DISTRACTIONS

One of the advantages of remote work is the window of flexibility that enables you to have more time for leisure in your day. On the flipside, this can quickly turn into a disadvantage when unavoidable distractions from your home start interfering with the quality and efficiency of your work.

WHAT ARE SOME PROS OF WORKING FROM HOME FOR EMPLOYERS?

The transition to working from home can be a real nightmare for employers because there are numerous aspects to remodel, eliminate, and improve on in order to make remote work a viable business option. But all’s not lost – WFH does come with an array of benefits that you wouldn’t get in a physical workspace.

1. SAVE COST

One of the biggest concerns of working from home is that the business will suffer financially. Hear us out – switching to remote work allows you to save costs such as bulk orders on office supplies, services for office maintenance, workplace utilities and outdoor team building events.

2. LESS LIMITATIONS ON THE HIRING PROCESS

You’ve met the perfect candidate for a role. He/she boasts excellent credentials, promising skills, and the right attitude for the job…but lives in another state.

Remote work allows you to connect with employees near and far, provided everyone has stable internet connection to get the job done!

3. LESS SICK DAYS FROM EMPLOYEES

Being ill or physically compromised in any shape or form makes it impossible for employees to show up to work – but it might not be the case for remote work. Employees might still be able to perform their duties in the comfort of their homes as they recover. Additionally, this will omit the spread of illnesses among team members.

WHAT ARE SOME CONS OF WORKING FROM HOME FOR EMPLOYERS?

As mentioned earlier, nothing is free of flaws. Working from home raises a number of significant challenges for employers. Without proper planning and strategizing, these cons could easily outweigh the pros.

1. MISCOMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT

In the absence of face to face discussions, WFH poses a high risk of miscommunication and conflict. When the channels of communication itself are flawed, it can be difficult to sort out communication errors. Read: poor internet connections, ineffective communication platforms, and misread messages.

2. LESS SUPERVISION GIVEN TO EMPLOYEES

While this may be advantageous to employees, it’s concerning to employers to say the least. A lack of supervision may result in poor quality work, failure to meet expectations, and late deliverables. Got a new team member onboard? That’s a separate challenge unto itself.

Read more: How to effectively manage your team from home.

3. NOT HAVING ALL THE ANSWERS

As the company’s leader, expect to face difficult questions – both internally and externally. When is the reopening of the physical space? What does the future hold?

While you may not always have the answers to these questions, you’re still expected to provide reassurance and guidance.

This past year, the pandemic has enabled automation, digitization, and cost control in supply chains to make working from home possible.

We’ve learned that working from home is a constant process of staying adaptable, flexible and open minded to change. In other words, working from home is all about getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. There will always be new challenges in this space, but where there are challenges, there will also be resilience.

For more insight on how to manage working from home for greater results, find out how our retail training programs can help you take your business further.

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