With the effects of pandemic receding and offices opening soon, are we ready to go to offices again? This is definitely a controversial question at this point. If someone asks a professional about the latest new normal, it is probably ‘work from home’. However, we have also seen few offices offering permanent work from home. Now, if you are stuck in a dilemma of going back or normalizing this culture, read this article to understand its things to consider, advantages, and disadvantages.
Permanent Work From Home: Things to consider, advantages and disadvantages
Various institutes indeed have come up with new research that widens the knowledge about this topic. And it’s also undeniable that work from home has existed for quite some time; however, it was considered equal to being jobless back then. The recent times have given the pandemic a significant booster for people to adapt to it and experience it at least once.
Things to consider while choosing work from home
- Possibly reduced allowances from the company.
- You’ll miss catching up on formal outdoor luncheons, and this is some worthy experience during office hours.
- Some employees will never meet each other.
- No birthdays, parties, ceremonies, farewells- and that’s something you’re sure to miss.
- No shared knowledge can be grasped in homes; the environment with peers remains inexperienced.
- Lack of suitable environment and space consuming home-turned-office.
- Additional working hours are coming unsaid, which can lead to increased fatigue and tiredness.
- Numerous little things can distract, such as homely gossips, friends coming over, or even television.
- Your comfort is prioritized over the tasks of the office.
Advantages of choosing permanent work from home
Saving unnecessary expenses:
You might save up on your rent, mess food, grocery, electricity, and traveling bills by being at home. All unexpected and planned monthly expenditures can be evaded effectively when you choose to work from home. Instead, new investment plans and money-saving strategies can be implemented.
Attention to personal life:
By being at home, you can spend time with your loved ones and get some time to breathe peacefully. Everyone needs to be sitting relaxed, working at one’s own will, and taking small breaks when necessary. This can help establish mental peace with self.
Managed and flexible schedule:
Sudden plans of events can be put into action, and waking up late is not an issue anymore. Late night work can complete the pending tasks, and there shall be no fixed time to have lunch. You can overcome a strict office schedule, and the commute time can be used to discover new hobbies and take new classes.
Multitasking can be pursued easily:
Work from home has been a boon for mothers and women who have to take care of their families. Meetings are now co-existing in the kitchen, and attendance can be maintained by taking care of your toddlers. Pet-lovers have found some extra relief while caring for their fur babies and bringing in extra rescues for fostering.
Time-saving:
The best perk of opting for a job that provides home support is saving time. This applies to saving commute time and managing time for various other activities. Since work from home has started, people have found time for their education, exercises, household chores, and hobbies, along with their daily jobs.
Disadvantages of choosing permanent work from home
Challenged learning collectively:
How does it feel to get your doubts solved by your colleagues rather than learning it all by yourself? It might get boring and awful at times to know everything yourself and you lose out on finding good resources.
Missing out on professional touch in life:
No matter how much you work from home, there will come a time when it feels like putting on a shirt, tie, and blazer. There comes a longing to be in a productive ambiance where presentations are given to the staff. Some days, sitting in homely clothes and sharing a screen over the laptop doesn’t feel enough.
Team-based skills are hindered:
New joiners, especially freshers, can not nourish essential team skills such as people bonding, leadership, collective task management, and being a team player when they stay at home. It becomes a problem to connect with people online and understand them virtually. The experience is less effective than an in-person meet.
Hampered productivity:
Some people have found it challenging to fit in the culture of work from home. They can’t get themselves into a routine. Consequently, there keeps forming a chain of bad habits, and one can find it challenging to break them. Some of them are poor sleep patterns, extra working hours, distraction due to television and family members, lost concentration and focus, and popping thoughts.
Hurdles in connecting online:
One of the biggest problems that are relatable is that the majority of people face an increase in broadband bandwidth. Multiple organization’s smooth functioning was challenged due to internet outages and poor connection, resulting in delayed completion of tasks.
Towards the conclusion
As the article reaches its concluding point, we hope that you are resolved to the dilemma. Also, we won’t say choosing permanent work from home is the ultimate option nor thrashing it entirely. Possibly to maintain the balance in between, a specific planner needs to be established. This planner can help a professional visit the office as per his convenient schedule and enable those benefits.
However, to make it more organized and optimal, companies should be encouraging. After all, the aim is to provide comfort and ensure that tasks are done correctly. This is a generalized version applying to any professional choosing work from home. I hope you liked it.
Author Bio:
This article has been written by Rishika Desai, B.Tech Computer Engineering graduate with 9.57 CGPA from Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology (VIIT), Pune. Currently works as Threat Intelligence Researcher in CloudSEK. She is a good dancer, poet and a writer. Animal love engulfs her heart and content writing comprises her present. You can follow Rishika on Twitter at @ich_rish99.