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Remote work can be defined as “a type of flexible working arrangement that allows an employee to work from a remote location outside of corporate offices (gartner.com).” Due to the recent global pandemic, working in an office became difficult and dangerous. So, companies resorted to online communication and thus, the rise of work from home AKA remote work.
There is a lot to dig in here. I’ll go over the biggest pros and cons of remote work and explain how it impacts businesses and employees.
Pros
Better Work-Life Balance
Working from home gives employees more flexibility as they can customize their work schedules according to their needs. Working at home also allows employees to spend more time caring for their family which can greatly improve employee satisfaction.
Saves Money
Employees who work remotely don’t have to spend time commuting to an office which allows them to save money on fuel, parking, or any other expenses regarding a daily commute. Money can also be saved from an employer’s perspective since they don’t have to pay for office supplies and utilities. And in the case where there is no office, the employer doesn’t even need to pay for rent which can help the business become more successful and grow.
Global Diversity
Online communication has gotten excellent over the years and this means that people across the world can communicate like never before. Through video conferencing apps like Zoom and document-sharing apps like Google Docs, coworkers can easily communicate with each other and share ideas.
Cons
Work-Life Balance is Reduced
Working remotely allows people to have more freedom in choosing their schedule and when they work. Although this can be a positive aspect of remote work, it can blur the lines between work and private life since their workplace is also their private space. The lack of an office can make it hard for people to separate from work which can lead to overwork and burnout which can have a huge negative impact on productivity.
Distractions Everywhere
An office gives employees a place to focus on their work and talk to coworkers with minimal distractions. When working from home, an employee can struggle with disconnecting from their personal life and be distracted by their household responsibilities like chores. Also, work done from home will be done on a laptop, computer, or phone which is home to millions of distractions. An employee with weak self-control can also find themselves spending a lot of time on distracting tabs on their device such as social media, games, movies, and much more. They might find themselves wasting time when they could’ve been working.
Technological Issues
The final con is a relatively obvious one. Technology isn’t perfect and people will commonly run into issues and challenges when using them. A video conferencing app might be down, files can get corrupted, the internet might shut down, there can be power outages, and software issues along with hardware issues, or it can even be just a poorly designed UI where the employee can’t figure out how to do something on an app or website.
In summary, working from home can come with many perks and benefits but it comes at a cost. There are benefits to an office but with good self-control, knowledge of technology, and perseverance, people can make remote work more productive and efficient than going to an office. In the end, it truly depends on the person you ask. Some prefer the office and others prefer working from home. Some might prefer to have both as an option and there are many jobs to choose with hybrid options to work from home on some days and go to the office on others. Choose an option that works for you!
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