For some people, working from home has been a lifesaver and a great motivator. Meanwhile, for others, it’s been a significant distraction. If you belong to the former group, you’re part of the 52% of workers (globally) who work from home a few times a week. Even if you’re working full time from home, you may have some ideas about the pros and cons. However, it helps to know a few vital things before jumping in if you’re just starting. Below is a compilation of some factors you should consider.
1. Is the home environment conducive?
Without a doubt, the office space is set up for work, making it an ideal environment for employees. For example, there is the convenience of a printing area, conference rooms, adequate office equipment, internet connectivity, silence, etc. With these in mind, can you say the same for your home? Indeed, the home environment may not necessarily be convenient, but you can change a few things.
After looking around your house, it’s up to you to decide how to set the place up. You may have to spend some money to get a spot in the house set up for remote work. A conventional office desk, ergonomic chair, file cabinet, printer, and other office supplies can be used. Even though your dining table and chair can suffice, you must think about the long-term health implications on your back.
2. Location of your home and daily work requirements
If your job entails processing physical documents in-person, meeting clients regularly, or at short notice, that can become a hindrance at some point. The latter is essential if your home is far from the business district where several official transactions are made. Unless you’re willing to do that regular commute from your far-off home to meeting points, you may have to reconsider your decision.
An alternative could be to schedule all your physical meetings in a particular week to cut back on the inconveniences of short notice client meetings. In instances where you must receive mails, maybe you’ll want to use expert virtual services to avoid the inconveniences of clients and customers knowing you work from home.
3. Family support
This usually contributes to why people choose to work from home or not. In the introduction, you may remember that some people see working from home as a lifesaver. On the other hand, if you have no private space to work from, family members in the house can become a significant distraction to work from home. Especially with young children at home, video and phone calls can become yelling sessions, detrimental to work activities.
4. Level of collaboration required with co-workers
Specific job roles require constant interaction with co-workers in the office space and may be difficult to replicate in the home environment. Virtual meetings may not always be the answer to teamwork and collaboration unless you and your colleagues find a way around it. More importantly, if you are the newest addition to the company in question, you should consider all the pros and cons that come with your peculiar situation. You will need constant guidance and mentoring from co-workers the most.
To conclude, it always helps to consider your particular situation before joining the work-from-home bandwagon. Indeed, sometimes you have no choice when your employer makes it mandatory. Whatever your circumstances are, hopefully, you can make a decision based on these points.