Ever since the 2020 pandemic, remote work has become more and more popular, with 75% of workers in certain industries still working from home. While the pandemic is not over yet, things are slowly but surely going back to normal, and employees are also returning to their offices.
That being said, some are choosing to keep remote work, or at least maintain a flexible work option. If you are wondering whether remote work is an alternative for you or not, here are some pros and cons of it.
The pros of remote work
There are definitely certain perks to remote work, including:
No commuting
The average worker spends from 30 minutes to 1 hour commuting from home to work on a one-way trip. To this, you add the preparations to make yourself presentable (i.e., showering, dressing up, putting your makeup on, etc.). By working remotely, you can skip commuting and work straight from your PJs, which will save you a lot of time.
More flexibility
When you work remotely, it doesn’t mean that you will only need to work from home. You can work from anywhere you want. It can be from a cafe, or even from a beach with a lemonade in your hand. All you need is a laptop with a good Internet connection, and you will be all set.
Higher productivity
Working remotely means that it’s going to be just you and your computer. There won’t be any co-workers stopping randomly at your desk to discuss trivial matters, nor will you be distracted by any office drama. You’ll be able to mind your work without the associated distractions, and you may be able to finish your tasks in record time.
Decreased stress
There are multiple ways in which you can decrease stress by working remotely. First, you no longer have the stress of commuting. Secondly, you no longer have to deal with any work drama or personality clashes. You’ll be able to chill in your own space, minding your own business, without any prying eyes on you.
Flexible approach to exercising
When you are working in an office, you can’t exercise the way you want – especially if there’s a dress code. Say you go in a suit at work; you can’t very well go jogging or change your clothes when you are away from home. Not to mention that you’ll be given weird looks if you start doing push-ups in your workspace.
However, if you are home, you can easily shift into some comfy clothes and go for a jog during your lunch break. This will offer you a much healthier lifestyle.
The cons of remote work
While there are indeed some perks to remote working, there are also a couple of drawbacks, including:
Reduced social interaction
Working remotely seems all nice and dandy at first – until a couple of weeks have passed and you realize you barely even see people anymore. Even if you don’t particularly like your co-workers, this reduced social interaction can lead to loneliness and some serious side effects on your mental health. You’ll be craving those weekend outings when the work week ends.
Fewer comfort resources
When you are at an office, you probably have the comfort handled for you. You likely have a supportive chair, a good desk, proper technology, and everything that you need for comfort. When you work remotely, you need to create your own comfort – which can be rather expensive. Many of us work on a bad chair at first, which can lead to lots of back pain. It can take a while until you set up your home office.
Teamwork reduction
One of the biggest drawbacks of remote working is teamwork reduction caused by communication gaps. When you are in an office, it’s easy to go to your colleagues and discuss matters with them – but when you work remotely, you can only rely on video calls. While it may be a good alternative sometimes, it’s not as effective for creating a work bond as when you are talking face to face.
Home distractions
We may have mentioned that remote work brings fewer work distractions from co-workers, but it does not mean there will be no distractions whatsoever – especially if you don’t live alone.
Your kids may be screaming for attention half the day, your cat may be knocking over lamps or your workstations, or your neighbors may choose your exact working hours to start drilling holes in the walls. Since you are home, you may not be able to avoid those distractions.
Tendency to overwork
Working in an office, you have a set schedule: you clock in at around 9 AM and you clock out at around 5 PM – after which you are free to do what you want because you won’t be near your office anyway.
That being said, when you work remotely, you may get ideas during the off-hours, and to get them out of your system, you will start working on them right then. It’s very easy to overwork when you reach that stage.
The bottom line
Working remotely has become a very common arrangement, but if you want to switch to this, you need to consider all of the advantages and drawbacks. Only then will you determine if it’s the right thing for you.