Since I’ve become a permanent work-from-home employee, I’ve had several conversations with people about working from home that led to me writing this note.
What I’ve come across is that people think it’s either really great or really horrible or they think “it must be nice”.
I’d like to get into the various pros and cons of working from home and a little note relating to those who think “it must be nice”.
Pros of Working from Home
No commute
You don’t have to drive or commute anywhere. This leads to money savings since you don’t have to pay for gas or public transportation.
Flexible work schedule
Typically, a work-from-home schedule is a bit more flexible. Since there isn’t a commute time anymore, the time that you can get to work or choose to leave work can be flexed a little bit. Plus, if your doctors and other appointments are near your home, it is easier to schedule them since you’ll have less drive time to get there.
No morning prep
You don’t have to get ready in the morning (though I still do). You could just roll out of bed and head right into work if you chose.
Can create your own office in your own style
This can be fun. In the office, you’re always stuck to the style of the building, but at home, you can change it up to what you like.
Fewer office distractions
There aren’t people stopping in throughout the day to chat, which means you’ll get more work done. Also, the general distractions, noises, and smells of the office are gone.
Cons of Working from Home
Worse work-life balance
Some people have trouble leaving work behind when it is right there. You can end up working more than ever before.
Less human interaction
You can easily get lonely working from home due to the lack of face-to-face interaction with others. See this article to read about reducing loneliness while working from home.
Can’t leave the clutter of “home” behind
People with kids can relate to this one. Anything that my daughter grabbed out in the morning and we didn’t have time to pick up before we left remains there…all day.
Feeling disconnected from others at work
One of the downsides to working from home is that you lose those natural conversations and updates that happen when you randomly run into someone in the hallway. This can make you feel like you don’t know what is going on with various issues that might impact you and your work.
Costs related to setting up a comfortable home office
This can be expensive, especially if work doesn’t help with the costs. Purchasing a comfortable desk and chair is expensive, not to mention other things such as dual-monitor holders, a headset, and a nice keyboard.
Risk of less productivity
Though there are fewer office distractions, there are home distractions. It can be difficult to focus on work when you have cleaning that needs to be done around the house or pets that need to be taken care of.
“It Must Be Nice”
A lot of times when you tell people you work from home, you get the “it must be nice…” response from others.
They picture you “working” but really doing all the things around your house instead. All the cleaning, cooking, organizing, napping that you want, all while being paid for it.
There may be some people who take advantage of the system that way, but I like to think there are far more who do not.
Let’s face it, in this competitive market, you need to prove that you’re still adding value at work. Your work still needs to be done and eventually, someone would notice if it isn’t.
Plus, there’s just the general morale of working for your pay. Personally, I would not be able to sleep at night if I were not truthfully providing the value that my company pays me to provide.
So, to those people who think you aren’t working for your pay, let them know how it is. Working from home isn’t a paid vacation. You still need to do your normal workload and keep up your quality of work.
Reframe Those Thoughts
When I first heard comments like, “It must be nice to cook dinner and get paid,” it used to really bother me. I felt like someone was accusing me of something that went against my personal ethical standards or my general moral code that fit into my character.
What I realized after a while though, is that the problem isn’t with the “it must be nicers”. It’s with my thoughts that started as from their statements.
Once I reframed my thoughts. Typically, when people make comments like that, the comments are more about themselves than they are about you.
The comments come from their thoughts and feelings about the situation. The comments have nothing to do with you. Once I started thinking that way, I got a lot less upset when they came up in the course of the conversation.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to working from home, whether or not you like it will completely depend on your own preferences.
Some people love the fewer distractions of the office and fewer office politics to deal with.
Others absolutely hate being home alone all day or have a hard time keeping focused on their work without the particular office environment around them.
To those who think “it must be nice”, know that there are definitely benefits and downsides to it. You may think that people who work from home are a drain on the company because they don’t actually get anything done. However, most people who work from home, actually work.
For those who work from home and feel the need to defend themselves. Remember, try reframing your thoughts when bad comments about “working from home” come up. Once you take a new view on the situation, it can change your entire outlook.
