The Pros and Cons of Working from Home

     Working at home is becoming a considerationSingaporeans are making especially in recent years where technology is takingover the workforce. Well, if your job offered you a chance to work from home,would you take it? Your most probable answer would be yes. Who wants to spend awhole day in a boring office in official dressing from 8 to 5? No one. However,the next questions that you should ask yourself are: whether you would beproductive working in pyjamas or sweat pants, would you get more time with familyif you start working from home? And lastly, would you enjoy solitude where youare home alone no colleagues or supervisors to check on you or corporateenvironment to walk around?

From those questions, you may need to sitdown and think further. Ifyou are a lady with small kids or have a well-designed and maintained ahome office, working from home can be a great choice. It saves you from thefinancial constraints of renting an office, fuel consumption or bus fares fromhome to work and other necessities like lunch. Just as there are innumerablereasons for working at home, similarly, there exists many pros and cons thatone must consider. Here are just some of them.

Pros

The flexibility of work and family

One of the significant benefits of workingfrom home is that one gets enough time to bond with the family particularlychildren if you’re a mother. Working from home,a parent is able to monitor hisor her children, guide them and learn them as they grow. This is a good way ofbalancing between family and work life. You are also able to shelve some timefor the doctor, to run errands and attend your kid’s school party withouthaving to request permission from your seniors at work!

Zero commute

An office worker spends 2 to 3 hours fromthe time they wake up to the time they get to work. This means that every daythey waste 2 or 3 hours preparing and commuting, not mentioning the eveningcommute. Fuel or money is spent when these two compulsory trips are made whichcould add up to a lot of money at the end of the month. If both an individualworking from home and an individual working in an office wakeup at 5 Am every day, it is apparent that the person working from home willbe more productive than an individual working in an office.

Home is comfortable

Every Singaporean can agree that they enjoystaying home.  Wearing your favoritesweatpants baking some cookies in the kitchen, sitting at the counter with yourlaptop and a mug of coffee beside it waiting for the cookies to cook is a lifeevery Singaporean would wish to have. You don’t have to think about thetraffic, the rainy day and raincoat to wear or a nagging colleague at work,instead you are surrounded by a loving family and happy people to support you.

You get to define your hours

Working at home means organizing your time.Don’t overwork yourself simply because you feel you are at home. It also meanssetting deadlines for your work so that you have a balance of home life andwork life. If you prefer working at night when everything is quiet, then go forit. If you are a nursing mother, have time for work and the baby. The best thingabout working at home is that it is very flexible. For instance, if you have anurgent task, you can always skip lunch and eat when the job is complete. Youalso rest enough if you work early.

Save on wardrobe and office rent

Rentingan office is quite expensive in Singapore, therefore, having a home officecan go a long way towards saving substantial lump sums of money every month onrent. Electricity bill will be shared in the house, and lunch will always be afew rooms away. Not having to maintain a formal wardrobe is anothermoney-saving aspect of working from home. You do not need those expensive,uncomfortable suits and heels when working at home. Instead, some comfortableclothing will actually help increase productivity.

Cons

Solitary confinement

Working from home has one colossaldisadvantage; cut off from human interaction. Well, not completely when youhave a whole family and kids running all over, but most of your work life willmean being left alone in your office. You no longer have the support,encouragement from your colleagues and supervisors and phone calls can never beenough.

Technical issues

Everything runs well until your internetstarts misbehaving or you lose out your company’s intranet may render youhelpless. In an office, you get support from the office in case your computerfails or when you get a technical problem that needs urgent attention. Fellowemployees can also help you out, but when you are at home, you have to dealwith the challenges on your own which may cost you money.

Too much comfort may render you unproductive

If you overeat or dress too warm, you mightsleep on work. You may also be tempted to keep checking your phone or socialmedia accounts which may slow your progress. If you are the type of employeewho relies on teamwork for excellent productivity, working at home may not be agood choice. Working at home can be too distracting, lack of organization andpoor time management can take you down work-wise.

The bottom line

A study conducted by Stanford University in collaboration with China’s largest travel agency found out that home-based workers proved to be more productive than their office counterparts. They seemed happier and less likely to quit work. On the other side, those who work at home were less likely to get promoted compared to their office-based workmates. However, 50% of the workers who worked from home wished to go back to the office due to loneliness.