Work From Home

Work From Home ‘Work from home’ happened to be a privilege for working professionals before the year 2020,

the dark year which forced the world to kneel in front of a virus. It’s 2021 and the pandemic is still going on making work from home (WTH) almost normal across the world.

Yes, it’s hard to accept the fact that offices will no time soon be vibrant and happening as it was before the Novel Corona Virus swept the world by a storm.

Work culture as a whole has gone virtual with stringent curbs on movement in the cities and states. From school teachers teaching students online to techies being assigned tasks for home, almost all the sectors embraced the WFH as the new & inevitable trend. With initial hiccups from the employers as well as the employees arranging the necessary tools required for WFH, it emerged as a mega trend in the lock-downs  & once everyone settled in and it is here to stay.

However, for many WFH was a savior in these uncertain times, for some it was burdensome with no house to help in the initial months of lockdown. Juggling between domestic responsibilities and no fixed work hours (available to work 24/7) increased the workload on many professionals especially working women.

Since the onset of this trend, the debate has been on whether WFH is a boon or bane? A coin always has two sides.

Let’s check out some pros and cons of this new trend:

Pros:

1. No cost on Commuting: People spend hours commuting from home to office and vice versa. Especially in metro cities, the commuting time is more for office goers to reach their offices situated on maybe the other end of the city. Many people also had to frequently travel to other cities making it more hectic for them. Thus, commuting cost and time both were saved.
2. Comfortable Clothing: Let’s accept the fact that the online meetings have been a super hit like never before. You don’t have to worry about what to wear to look presentable. You get to wear the coziest clothes as you are working from home. You don’t have to stress yourself thinking about what to wear for work every morning.
3. Design Your Work Environment: WFH gives you the liberty to customize your workspace the way you like. Sitting on a beanbag with your laptop, sipping a cup of coffee and some fresh air from your window, some music, what more could one wish for? Remote working allows you to choose your style of office space at home.
4.  Flexible Work Hours: Unlike regular offices, where you are bound to work for say 8 to 10 hours every day, remote working lets you take breaks whenever desired and you have to work only till the time you finish your tasks for the day. So if you manage to finish your work in lesser timing, you can be free for the day from that very moment. However, there are still few who have to adhere with their work timings come what may.
5. Work Beyond Geographical Boundaries: It is one of the most important advantages of remote working. People sitting in one part of the world can work for a company based in another part of the world along with coworkers who are working together from various places. Yes, this is the power of remote working. It is not only beneficial for the professionals but also for the companies  as it helps them avoid high rents for office buildings.

Cons:

1. Insufficient Office Equipment and Security Sssues: Working at the home-based office set up can be loved by some but many professionals find it difficult to manage work from home without their office equipment like printers, fax machines, etc. Moreover, many companies are concerned about data leaks and security threats to their company data with the use of private internet services.
2. Distractions at Home: Working from home can be too distracting as you are surrounded by your family and you tend to lose your concentration from work. Especially when it comes to working women, challenges have increased for them. Being constantly interrupted by kids and having a noise-free private space at our homes not designed for work has served as a major distraction for them.
3. Invasion in Family Time: Remote working can give you the benefit of flexible working hours but at the same time some can find it hard to switch off from office mode to family mode. Balancing work and family time can be demanding and people may not be able to draw a line between personal and professional life which office working does.
4. Minimized Social Life: Work from home leads to professionals glued to the laptop screens for hours instead of face-to-face interactions with other colleagues. In other words, socializing has been minimized to a great extent.
5. Less Productivity: WFH is being associated with increased productivity by many but it has shown a negative impact too. Being at home can have one’s attention drawn away with temptations like a web series left on a climax scene, spending time with family, or noontime naps thus resulting in lesser productivity.

Summing it up, we must remember that everything has drawbacks and advantages, it depends on the individual to deal with the situation as it comes and amend along.