Pros and Cons of Working from Home

With living in the current times of Covid-19, things are changing and people are adopting a new normal.  For many people, this new normal includes working from home.  Like anything, there are some drawbacks to working from home, however there are some major benefits emerging from this.

One con that may be everyone's immediate thought of the downside of working from home is the loneliness.  A survey conducted by Blind, asked about 10,000 professionals various questions about their mental well-being during social distancing.  One key takeaway from this survey was 52.9% of respondents answering yes to increased loneliness during work from home and 56.4% reporting they experienced increased feelings of anxiety during work from home.  Although the current situation of work from home cannot be changed, different efforts can be made to mitigate these issues.  Additional virtual meetings for check-ins can be added to the calendar, utilizing messaging platforms can increase daily communication, and so forth.  The added communication channels can ease loneliness and anxiety by increasing the sense of community, which in turn may increase productivity levels.

Some of the benefits that arise from working from home is the lack of commuting, greater flexibility, and improving on your work/life balance.  Commuting for some can be very time consuming and expensive.  By eliminating this need, the time saved can be put towards completing additional work and the money saved may ease financial concerns or just increase happiness.  Although many people are still expected to work their normal working hours from home, people are making some adjustments.  By working from home, you can alter your schedule to align with your most productive times.  This allows people to complete their work in a timely fashion, yet do so on a timeline that is best suited to the person.  Lastly, working from home can improve your work/life balance.  Currently, there is definitely less "life" opportunities as many stores and activities are closed, however people can use this opportunity to spend additional time with their loved ones at home.  People with children at home are adjusting to fulfilling the role of teacher among many other titles.  Since they are working from home, they are better suited to jump in and conduct activities with their children.  The more flexible schedule allows for both parental and work duties to be completed.

This new normal of working from home has opened people's eyes to the pros and cons this brings.  The cons of this can be lessened by putting more emphasis on various communication channels.  The pros of this allows workers to maximize their effectiveness and efficiency, while also accomplishing household tasks.  Distractions can arise from working from home, however they also exist in the office.  Using ones self-discipline will help get over common distractions.