Even though the first case of the Coronavirus was reported backed in 2019, the year 2020 will forever be remembered as the year of lockdown. Businesses and even governments closed down and there was a global lockdown even personal lives were effected. With the lockdown in place, businesses were compelled to tell their employees to work from home.
This was a good step in trying to stop the virus from spreading however some businesses and employees experienced a lot of other positive and negatives aspects of working from home. With the advent of advanced technology, working from home has become really easy.
Let’s take a look at few pros and cons of working from home.
Pros of Working from Home
Less Commuting- Working from home means that you don’t have to drive or take the bus to your office. This lowers your commute cost and also lowers the carbon footprint. Less traffic on the roads mean fresh, clear and healthy air for people to breath. So when you work from home you are doing a huge favour to the environment.
Less Cost- Working from home lowers your overall expenditure. You can save money in a lot of different areas. You don’t have to buy expensive formal clothing for the office, you don’t have to pay for petrol in your car and you don’t have to buy lunch at work. So you get to save money in different aspects of your life if you work from home.
Low Stress- Studies have shown that working from home not only reduces stress but it also improves productivity. Driving everyday to work, spending a large proportion of the day at the office, working nonstop and then driving back to the house. All of this can get very exhausting and stressful. However working from home can help you eliminate all this stress.
Increased Flexibility- You have more flexible working hours when you are working from home. You can choose to work when you want. This will help you manage your house better especially if you are a single parent.You can work easily after finishing your chores and putting your kids to sleep.
Cons of Working from Home
Temptation to Overwork- Working from home has its advantages but there are also some downsides. For example when you are working from home, you can be tempted to overwork. May be you want to complete a week’s work in 3 days so you can enjoy the rest of the three days off. This can affect the quality of the work and it can also affect your health.
Scattered Working Hours-
Finding Space- How many times have you seen that a pet, or kids or someone else from the family interrupted a zoom call? There are several videos like this on the internet. When you are working from home, then finding a place in your house that you can call your office can be hard especially if you live in a small apartment.
Increased Energy Bills- Working from home can help reduce the commute costs however it can also increase the electricity bills if you have to keep your laptop plugged in or if you have to keep the air conditioning on.
Less Movement May Effect Health- When you are at work, you work at your desk. So you spend most of the day at your desk. However you still get up and commute to work, you still have those chats near the water cooler and you still move around. However when you are working from home, you can do it while lying down in your bed. Working from home may reduce stress and improve your mental health but it can have a really bad effect on your physical health. So it is important that you regularly workout when you are working from home.