In today’s constantly changing world remote work is becoming more and more popular. According to the ADP Research Institute, 64% of employees said they would quit if asked to return to work full-time after the pandemic. While many people are overwhelmed by the prospect of returning to the office, others believe that remote work is ineffective. Let’s dig deeper to see the key pros and cons of both types of work.
Pros and cons of Remote work
First, let’s discuss the main advantages and drawbacks of remote work.
Flexibility
One of the main important advantages of remote work is flexibility. You can schedule your day as you wish and work at your own pace. Remote work makes it possible to combine work with other routines.
Typically, those working from home are more independent. Frankly speaking, though on-site employees have to spend from 8-9 hours in the offices, they can’t be effective and productive throughout the entire day. While remote employees can complete their tasks in 4-5 hours and spend the remaining 4 hours on other house chores or physical activities.
Comfort
To organize your day effectively you should feel comfortable. There is no need to worry about your look, noisy open spaces, dress code or some overwhelming internal rules of the office. You can have your lunch and take coffee breaks whenever you want. You can even relocate and keep your current job, because location is not a boundary for remote work.
Manage several jobs
You can combine several work from home jobs. More offices have a positive attitude to their employees’ side hustle, but they do not permit use of office property for outside projects. Today there are many types of jobs that can be done from home, such as writer, editor, online tutor, designer, developer, etc. Education has also become flexible, so you can use your skills to provide academic assistance. For these kinds of jobs you can use some online tutoring platform or suggest your services via LinkedIn.
Save time and money
Although today there are numerous cost-effective transportation methods such as electric trikes or bicycles, remote or half-time work significantly reduces transportation costs.Also using e bikes can be beneficial for your health as it is a healthy lifestyle especially for people who work all the time in front of a computer. It also saves you time. Traffic jams are the number one reason why people are late.
These are the main benefits of remote work, now let’s discuss some drawbacks.
Social isolation
The most significant disadvantage of remote work is isolation. You are completely alone, with no opportunity for social interaction or networking. You can also feel detached from your team.
Overworking
Many people reported they work longer from home, because often it is very hard to log off. There is no sense that you are already at home and no longer need to work. You can lose the boundaries between life and work. It can negatively affect your mental health.
Distractions
Working from home seems quite appealing, but it can be distracting if you have children or other roommates. You might also run into technical difficulties, and no one will be able to assist you right away.
Pros and cons of Office work
Now let’s consider some pros and cons of office work:
Networking opportunity
Office work gives better networking opportunities. When you interact with your colleagues in person, you become more familiar. You can manage to go to the gym together, lunch together, organize some after-office activities and make new connections. It will have a positive impact on your work.
Teamwork
Collaborative teamwork is essential. You can be more motivated while working with your team and interacting with them in real life. In this case feedback can also be more constructive.
Resources
When you work from the office you have access to office resources. You can also get technical support when needed, enjoy fast and stable internet, use printers and scanners when needed.
Now let’s face some of the most common cons of office work.
Less autonomy
Each office has its rules. As an employee you should follow them. Some offices require a dress-code, which can be uncomfortable, or they have fixed working hours and you can’t choose when to start your work.
Commuting
If you work on-site, you must get up early. Commuting to work can be time-consuming and stressful due to heavy traffic or delayed public transportation. You may be required to work overtime and will be able to return home only at bedtime.
Higher costs
On site work considers higher costs. You should pay not only for transportation or parking, but also for lunch or some specific dress-code if needed.
Conclusion
We compared home and office work, and discussed the most common pros and cons of each. None of them is completely ideal, but you can compare them and choose the suitable format for you. Or you can combine it and adopt a hybrid work style.