Nestling in your bed without missing work – sounds like utopia, right? But the changed circumstances have made this an everyday thing for most of us since last year. And now you have started to realize that working from bed is not such a great idea. That old cold shoulder pain is back as you never follow the right posture while working on your laptop, and now even the ‘so-called paradise’ looks boring.

Welcome to the world of Work From Home! The advantages and disadvantages of working from home are now a hot topic of debate, as both employers and employees struggle to adjust to the new situation.

As offices start to reopen their doors, many have provided the option to work from home to their employees. But undeniably, this golden goose packs some serious disadvantages as well. If you are confused about the right choice, check out the practical advantages and disadvantages of working from home before making your final decision.

Advantages of working from home

The list of benefits of working from home is long. It gives you the freedom and flexibility that you can never get while working from the office.

No more waiting in traffic
It is too early to forget the office-hour traffic jam on the roads and waiting in snarling, unmoving queues for hours during office commute. It is such a waste of time and enough to destroy the morning mood. Working from home can put an end to this problem. It saves not only money but also time and energy, ensuring better performance during the workday.

Never too late!
Netflixing till late at night? No worries! You can wake up late and still attend work on time. When you are working from home, you save time getting ready and the time to commute in the morning. So, an extra hour of sleeping will not make you late.

Work in your pajamas
If you love your cozy clothes more than the office attire, the WFH benefits are truly overwhelming. You can attend your office in whatever outfit you are in until there is a Zoom call with instructions to keep your video on.

Create your space
When working from home, you have the full scope of creating your workspace the way you want. You can work from the garden if you like or get a proper office set up in your room, or juggle between both as you feel. If you prefer a quiet and cozy place for work, what can be better than your room?

Feed your creativity
Work from home comes with the freedom to work from anywhere you like - your bed, the terrace, the veranda - without changing your comfy outfits. This can be tremendously helpful for people in the creative fields. It can help creative heads develop novel concepts that can truly translate into growth for the brands.

Save more
Are you struggling to save enough? WFH can help. As you stay at home, you can easily enjoy home-cooked food, which is always cheaper than eating out. Moreover, it is healthy. Working from home also saves you from the daily expenses of commuting. These costs might not look substantial on a day-to-day basis, but they add up to quite a hefty sum by the end of the month.

Make your routine
Love evening walks but has been missing it due to the office? No more restrictions! You can plan your day the way you want as long as you finish your projects in time and your walk-time does not coincide with a client call.

Spend more time with family
Working from home allows you to spend more time with your loved ones. You no more need to send your kids to the playschool or after-school classes to keep them engaged while you are not home. It can be effective to rework relationships and enjoy a healthy bonding amongst all the family members.

More opportunities and better talent
The work from home concept has eliminated geographical limitations, opening more opportunities for the workforce and a vast talent pool to hire for employers. As you do not need to be present in the office physically, now you can easily apply for the job in your dream company located in another state or even in another country.

Environment friendly
One of the biggest advantages of working from home. It saves unnecessary commuting, reducing the number of vehicles on the road, cutting down considerably on pollution. Pollution has already reached an alarming rate which is harmful to the healthy existence of the human race on the planet. The ability to control air pollution just by implementing WFH for more people is indisputably promising.

Less spending on office space
One of the biggest benefits of working from home for employers is saving the expenses on acquiring and maintaining an office space. Most of the office spaces come with a huge cost of rent and maintenance. By implementing work from home, companies can considerably cut down on this amount.

As we conclude our long list of advantages of working from home, it is time to look at the disadvantages.

Disadvantages of working from home

WFH does not come without its share of cons. Some disadvantages might be more prominent for some employees or employers depending on various factors. Check out,

More gap in communication
If you are working from home for some time now, you already know what we are trying to point out. A problem that could be solved through a glance on the monitor of your colleague or a quick discussion in the office now takes 5 emails and 3 calls to reach a solution, and still, there is some gap.

The communication gap between team members is cropping up as one of the major disadvantages of working from home in some sectors that involve more teamwork. If you are setting up a new team while everyone is working from home, the chance of a communication gap is heightened to a level that might impact the total output.

No ‘quick’ answer
You are stuck on a point and need your senior or another teammate to respond to the confusion before you can move to the next part. This is a common scenario in every work environment and has never been an issue while working under the same roof. However, in the changed circumstances, getting a simple answer can take time, which can impact employee productivity negatively.

There is no switching off.
Working from home can push your work-life balance to the extreme. There is no switching off from work or going home. If there is more work, you end up working the whole day, which can seriously impact your health, efficiency, and personal life. The flexibility of not having to reach and leave the office at a fixed time is great, but it can increase stress leading to unhealthy habits, sleep issues, and health complications.

Focusing is more difficult
Every home is different. If the home situations are not supportive to work, it can affect job efficiency. Every employee might not have a proper setup for work. They might miss a secluded space where they will not be disturbed. If the proper setup is missing, it can be difficult for the employee to deliver results, leading to a drop in performance.

More responsibility
The advantage of remote working from home can quickly turn into a major disadvantage if the employee must manage home responsibilities and work together. Staying at home often means getting involved in household chores. Juggling between work and family can be taxing for the employee. It can even lead to more errors in work.

Increased tech and telecommunication cost
To efficiently work from home, employees need powerful tech and internet connection all the time. A single system or internet connection might not be reliable enough, leading to spending on multiple systems and connectivity. The cost of phone bills, internet bills, and system maintenance, unless covered by the company, can add up to a considerable extra expense for the employee.

For smaller organizations, the increased tech and telecommunication cost can be a burden. If the company has not yet shifted fully to cloud technology and the latest tech, supporting work from home for all or most employees can be a serious problem, needing complete tech renovation and huge investments for which the company might not be ready.

No humane interaction
Interacting with your colleagues in the office and sharing some fun time might look like a waste of valuable office hours. Still, this kind of informal interaction has a positive impact on mood and efficiency. People working from home miss the pleasure of casually interacting with their office mates, which might lead to the feeling of being alone.

Difficult to keep track
When all or most employees work from home for a more extended period, keeping track of their performance can be pretty tricky for the company. Time tracking apps might not be enough to solve the problem, and it can quickly lead to performance drop for employees.

Making the right decision
So, which one is better? Should you opt for working from home or get ready to rush back to the office? You should take the decision depending on your specific situation. If you are a self-starter with a sincere commitment to work and have a proper, personal set-up for working from home, WFH is undoubtedly a good deal. On the other hand, people who miss human interaction or do not have the right work environment at home may plan to attend office as the situation improves.

From the perspective of the employers, if a company is already using cloud technology and can provide the necessary support to the employees, work from home can be helpful to considerably reduce expenses on employee commute, space rent, and maintenance unless the process requires the team to work under the same roof or be present physically.

Any drop in employee performance can be managed through regular communication and employees motivated with incentives and work from home benefits.