Is Working From Home Worth It?
By: MarcusKRZ | Published: March 23, 2010 | Filed under: About small businesses
In theory, working from home should be something we all aspire to achieve. The ability to go through a day without pants is something that man has striven for throughout history. Now that the Internet has made it so easy to communicate and work from decentralized locations, we’re entering an age where more and more people are considering working from home as a reasonable alternative to office life. It’s our opinion at Sunshine Suites, however, that working from home isn’t often all its cracked up to be. Here are a few reasons why:1.) No separation between home and work
Even if you love what you’re doing, there are times where you’re going to want to be able to disconnect from your professional life. These separations help give your mind a rest from the rigors of your job and allow you to approach work the next day invigorated and refreshed. When you work from home, however, it’s much more difficult to find a sanctuary that makes this possible. In your home you’re constantly reminded of unfinished projects and neglected initiatives, preventing you the respite that most of the time is all you need in order to rectify those issues.Many people want to work from home because of the negative associations they have with their work environment and the positive feeling they get when they’re at home. It’s important to remember that, in most instances, these associations have nothing to do with the physical locations themselves and rather the activities performed within. Making your home your office may only serve to remove a safe-haven.2.) The prevalence of distractions
Sometimes freedom can be more of a negative than a positive. For all the annoyances that can come from working in an office (restricted web usage, structured work schedules, etc.), sometimes these restrictions can save us from ourselves. It’s easy to imagine yourself having the self-discipline to avoid all the distractions present in our homes, but in practice it’s much more difficult. It doesn’t have to be watching television or browsing the internet while you’re “on the clock”, it could be something as simple as getting caught up running mid-day errands and losing an afternoon.Working from home requires an increase in discipline in order to maintain productivity. For some this is an acceptable trade-off for the freedom working from home provides. For others, this effort isn’t worth the benefits.3.) Lack of human interaction
Humans are social beings. We thrive on our relationships with other humans. Working from home, unfortunately, tends to decrease the amount of interactions we have with people throughout the day. It’s easy to imagine this as a good thing after the nineteenth time in the day that Lucy in accounting tells you that story about her cat “Snibbles”, but after a few days of interacting solely with your dog and the convenience store cashier, you may reconsider.Additionally, communication done over the internet or phone is in many ways inferior to face-to-face interactions. Being in the presence of someone when discussing an assignment or revisions on a deck can alert you to physical indicators that greaten your understanding of the situation. Furthermore, anyone who’s tried to be sarcastic over email can testify for the communication breakdowns that can happen over text.This isn’t to say that working from home isn’t a good option for some people, but rather that one needs to think hard about whether or not its something that will improve their lifestyle. In the end it’s about finding the work situation that provides the best possible environment for your professional and personal life, not about “No Pants Tuesdays.” 16 Comments »
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