Covid-19 which necessitated working remotely has faded away. Yet, working from home has come to stay. Though, not all companies have adopted the idea of working remotely. Before the pandemic, only about 30% of employees worked remotely as reported by Intuition. This number has increased in recent times. Now, about 45% of employees work remotely, and the number is projected to increase as organizations become acclimatized to the pros and cons of working at home. The key to effective remote work depends on how employers can manage a remote team.

Gartner Inc. in one of its studies comprising about 127 company leaders in Finance, Real Estate, Human Resources, and Legal and Compliance, had expressed the views that they are predisposed to allowing 82% of their employees to work from home. This is a positive because if they do not earnestly make provision for working remotely, there is the certainty that they will miss out on recruiting top talents. 

Forbes, in one of its articles titled, “What’s The Future of Remote Work In 2023?” written by Simon Bacher, noted that as of 2022, many employees are Millennials, who have strong sentiments for working from home. Many in this bracket had expressed that they would not consider a job if it makes no provision for working remotely. Since the number of working Millennials will increase in the coming years, every company has no choice but to start adopting working at Home. 

Remote Work

We acknowledge that remote work has come to stay and is the future of the workplace. The advancement in technology staff management working remotely is a pointer to this claim. Business News Daily enthused that the right tech and a team of hardworking staff who take their work from home seriously will ensure acceptance from other strata of the business world that have not embraced working remotely. 

The following subheading discusses the Pros and Cons of working at home.

Pros and Cons of Working at Home 

There have been disparaging views about how effective or not working from home can be, or let us say, has been. If you want to know the Pros and Cons of working at home, we discuss them one after the other below.

Pros of working at Home 

Cuts off Commute Time and Expenses

There is no joy in commuting to and from work every day. Not to mention if you commute on a busy road where there is often traffic. Spending and wasting time in traffic takes its toll on your life and how you start or end your day. If there is much traffic, there is a tendency you will not commence work in the right frame of mind. And if you commute home and the road congestion is unbearable, you will end up stressed and unable to do other things before you retire for the night to prepare for the next work day.

US News and World Report states that one of the pros of working at home is avoiding traffic battles. Also, they added that you would save money from buying expensive professional wear you would have had to wear regularly except when you have client meetings. 

Reduction in Cost of Vehicle Maintenance Wear/Tear

Working from home ensures a reduction in the cost of fueling your vehicle, as well as the cost of vehicle Maintenance from wear/tear that may result from constant commute to and from work. It saves some money in your account you would have spent on fuel or vehicle maintenance.

Productivity 

Working from home will favor you if you are the type that dislikes interfacing with other colleagues daily because of the distractions they cause. And luckily, this is also to the benefit of introverts who function well while in their space. Investopedia reported that some people are more productive in a quiet environment, and working from home would be their best bet. It saves them from approaches that occur when with colleagues at work. They will avoid such distractions at home. 

Better Work-life Balance 

One of the pros of working at home is the flexibility it provides to improve your work-life balance, which often is non-existent in a traditional workspace. If you lack the motivation to complete a task, going on a brief walk or stretching your legs might be what you need to clear your head and feel rejuvenated to effectively attend to any work project. 

Owl Lab touched on the advantages of working from home. They noted that it gives you the freedom to schedule your work hours to a time of the day when you are more productive, to get the task done quickly and efficiently. And maybe focus your free time on other non-work-related matters.  

Cons of Working at Home 

Plenty Distractions

The kids are running around, the pets nibbling at what they should not, you cannot take your eyes off the window to watch the neighbor’s activity, not to mention watching Television at the interval, and the list goes on. These are some of the few distractions that working from home brings. Kiss Flow recommends some tips to eliminate work-from-home distractions. 

Social Isolation 

Would you not miss office politics? The dramas provided by some work colleagues and the collaboration working from the office provide? There is no doubt you would. And there are some social interactions that the office space and colleagues provide that might help you get better opportunities in the future. 

Lack of motivation

Motivating oneself is not for everyone, and not having a senior team member or your close pals at work who can easily come in handy when you need a little motivation, might cost you productivity. Investopedia stressed that working from home will drain the energy of extroverts who would rather thrive in an environment where they can socialize and interface with other team members. 

Conclusion 

Juxtaposing the pros and cons of working at home reveals that it will have benefits and detriments. Especially in cases where some employees prefer either of the two options. Striking a balance is our recommendation. One, it might be imperative to adopt a blend of the two, where you have some days of the week when all staff comes to the office. And days everyone works from home. Two, you might want to give your employees the freedom to choose which serves their interest and adopt it while ensuring that productivity is not sacrificed on either side.