Chapter 4 : Work From Home Pros And Cons

It’s Not Just a Cozy Home that Makes People Work from Home

Though most people want the stability of cash flow offered by office work, some individuals likewise see profit from home-based work. Below are some of the advantages of working from home:

Time

If you work at home, you would be able to have more time to spend with your kids or any other family member.  Work may be done during your free time from housework, or when the kids are asleep, or at school.

Likewise, some home-based work might be left undone for some period to attend to some emergencies in the family, and you will be able to return to it anytime you are capable of doing so again.

If you are not in the mood to do the work, you might re-focus your attention in doing some housework to reengage your mood and be able to rejuvenate the motivation to work again, thus an increase in your productivity.

In an office setting, you cannot simply leave your desk to unwind. You have to complete the mandatory number of hours of work even if you are not so productive during the day.

Interest

Being able to work at home gives you more chance to engage in a type of business or work that best suits or matches your interest.

Being able to tap income-generating work from your interest probably is one of the best points in home-based work.

Not only would you not feel the burden and stress which is usually accompanied with working at office based jobs, but you would not even feel that you “HAVE” to work to earn, since you are only doing so when the urge or rush of energy flows.

Less expense

Going to the office usually is accompanied by a variety of expense.  This usually includes one or more of the following:

  • Transportation expense.  This may be in the form of bus fare, gasoline expense, or train tickets.
  •  Food expense.  You have to eat during the course of time performing work at the office.  If you don’t bring a packed lunch, or you’re struck with the urge to have some sweets from the vending machine at the office, you have to make use of some amount that may have been stashed for some other use.
  • Telephone bills or expense.  This is most significant for individuals with families, especially those who have kids.  Most notorious of which are mothers who may call their homes several times during the day to check on the kids.
  • Miscellaneous expense.  Being out of the house exposes you to various forms of expense-generating activities or probable purchases. 

When NOT even a Cozy Home can Make People Work from Home

Having to work at home may be a blessing or a curse to various groups of individuals. Where some prefer to work from the confines of their homes, some prefer to work in a corporate setting.

If you prefer to work from home, you need to take into consideration the following disadvantages:

Lack of social life

Juggling time between the kids and work at home may be an all-consuming effort that could leave very little time for social interaction with other people. Unlike having an office-based job wherein regular Christmas parties and company events are held, there are not much social events for a work-at-home person to go to.

Distraction from work

While in the middle of writing a good article, the baby might wail and needs to be changed, the mailman might arrive and require a document to be signed as proof of receipt, or the school might call to inform you that the middle child had been sick. Thus, the momentum or surge of energy flow that could have produced an award-winning article had gone down the drain due to some distractions. This probably is one of the greatest setbacks of doing home-based work as compared to doing work in the office where you can dedicate the whole days just for working on a certain project.

Personal grooming

Unlike having to dress up to go to work, individuals who work from home might not find the need for proper grooming or going with the latest fashion. Not being able to look your best might contribute to your lack of self-confidence, which through some chain of events, could result to unproductiveness.

With the mentioned work-from-home pros and cons, you are now more empowered to come up with an informed decision on what to expect or what trials to surmount if you choose to finally settle for a work-at-home arrangement, may it be a business or a telecommute job.

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