Working from home! Advantages and disadvantages

You can make a thoughtful decision about whether you want to go ahead with flex-work, desk-based jobs, or working from home full-time from here. Working remotely may give you more time at home to complete important tasks that are beneficial for your lifestyle. Employees who telecommute are generally more satisfied, happier, and loyal, as working from home lowers stress, gives employees more time off, and improves personal relationships. Working remotely may cause an individual to feel isolated and unmotivated to perform work efficiently.

You can get pretty isolated working from home if you are spending most of your time alone, working on your own. Very often, working from home may mean working alone, and not having the social interaction and interactions with others in the daytime can certainly be a drawback. Whether you are ill or have to make a big appointment, working from home may cut down on the number of times you have to take the day off. Working from home allows more flexibility in your schedule, where you can squeeze in important events and appointments without taking a time off.

Working from home typically leads to less interruptions, less office politics, quieter noise levels, and less (or more effective) meetings. When working from home, it is unlikely that you will lose concentration because of distractions at the office, such as background noise or coworker interruptions. While distractions can occur in your home, they are far easier to manage the ones you encounter in your workplace, which can include employees, coworkers, and other noises around your office. While working from home may increase productivity and eliminate distractions from the office, other distractions can occur, such as interruptions by children, family, pets, work, friends, and neighbors.

The boundaries between work and family life are blurred when work is done within the confines of home, leading to burnout and poor morale. Flexible work hours may become a drawback for some employees, since some might forget to check in, and might forget to distinguish work life from home life, which may result in work lasting longer than it is supposed to, thereby; leading to burnout for employees, as well as increased stress. Flexible hours are one of the benefits of telecommuting, which allows employees to structure their days according to their own convenience.

Add to that no commute, and telecommuters generally have more time and less distractions, leading to increased productivity--a big advantage to working from home, both for employees and employers. Remote workers report increased productivity, better concentration, and reduced stress as some of their main reasons to work remotely.

Many reports found that employees felt more free to operate from home; leading to increased productivity and motivation. Employee satisfaction may be higher for a remote job due to flexibility to do the work. Remote jobs offer individuals who might struggle to find stable employment at a local workplace, such as people with disabilities or caretakers needing a flexible schedule, an opportunity to pursue their professional goals without having to worry about the back-and-forth of commutes.