The Pros and Cons of Working from Home
March 23rd 2020, life as we knew came to a screeching halt. For thousands of people, the Prontus team included, this meant working from home. For some, this looks set to continue, in part at least, as the economy gets back to normal. Is this working from home here to stay? Is this a good thing?
Working from home is nothing new but until the spring of 2020, it wasn’t as common or accepted practice as it is today. Viewed with suspicion by employers (were you really working?), it was hated by some employees, and loved by others.
We’ve fought our way through the pandemic and now, with the UK Government set to rescind the working from home order, there is debate and discussion on whether companies should continue with WFH.
Some companies are opting for a hybrid approach in which employees can work part of the time in the office and part from home or, in some forward-thinking cases, from other places such as shared work spaces. Some companies are taking this as an interim approach, an opportunity to ease back to the way things were or need to be whilst maintaining the health and safety of its staff. For others, working from home will be a permanent option.
What are the pros of staying at home to work and what are the cons? Are there solutions to these problems?
#1 Self-management and discipline can be hard
If you have worked from home before, you’ll know that the temptation to do anything but work is strong. During lockdown, it was harder still with bored teenagers and fractious children within reaching distance of your carefully balanced work station on the sofa. Staying focussed and on track was difficult. With the school summer holidays looming, along with the potential for last-minute self-isolation too, the pressure is not letting up.
It can feel overwhelming. So how do you fight your way out of this particular rut? WFH regulars are adamant that:
A defined workspace that is kept clear and tidy is key to self-discipline
Use Clockify or another time-checking app to split the long day into smaller chunks
Create a to-do list and then prioritise what must be completed
Get the tough stuff out of the way first
#2 Distractions & interruptions
The courier guy dropping in a parcel for next door, the meter reading chap, the neighbour’s kids playing up a storm, the washing machine finishing its cycle, the other half asking where something is or what should be done about…
The list could go on and on. Safe to say that unless you work from a dark cave at least 100 miles from the nearest connotation, there will be distractions and disturbances.
No one works at 1000% efficiency but when it feels like everything else is swallowing your work day, you need to put the brakes on.
Have a designated workspace although easier said than done in some cases. Even if it is a temporary desk in the corner of the living room or bedroom, a small space that becomes your work zone for a few hours is one way of wrestling back your focus
Work time is exactly that: work time. The chores have to wait, the TV remains switched off and the door unanswered
Rewrite the house rules because if working from home is to remain the status quo for some time, there needs to be a new set of boundaries
#3 Isolation
Working from the comfort of home or the garden is all well and good but there are some who suggest that this isolation is not good for creativity or our mental health. Lockdown has proven that humans are, by and large, social animals and we need the contact of others.
If you live alone or spend most of your day alone, it can feel long and vacuous. As we start to emerge from our homes back into shops and office, there are things you can do to stem this isolation:
Consider shared workspaces which are springing up across the UK. A step on from the Internet cafe, these spaces encourage people to interact and collaborate
Stay in contact with work colleagues via messaging platforms such as Slack and Zoom
Take exercise outside or take your lunch to the local park
#4 Tech issues
Not all of the UK enjoys secure, uninterrupted WiFi. Internet outage and other tech issues can stop you mid project for anything from minutes to hours.
Have a back up plan such as access to a second laptop or tablet. When it comes to the internet, you may have to de-camp to the local library or shared workspace until the issue is resolved.
A short term solution could be to hotspot your phone.
#5 Miscommunication
When we see people, we read their body language and facial expressions so we know when someone is unhappy, when they are joking, when they are making a point, or when they are angry and so on.
We can’t quite read the same into a text or email. What sounds perfectly civil and straightforward to you can be misinterpreted by the person receiving it. The result is often that someone takes issue with or is offended by the tone… and on it goes.
This can be hard to counteract but these tips will help:
Consider scheduling emails and messages so that you don’t ‘fire off’ messages without thinking and could be misinterpreted
Re-read a message and check if the meaning is clear
Pick up the phone and talk with people
Copy the relevant people into messages so people don’t feel ‘out of the loop’
#6 Bad working habits
They are so easy to fall into and can be anything from getting up later and later in the day, working later into the night, snacking out of the fridge, remaining at your desk all of the time and not taking real breaks away from work.
It is hard to disconnect when your work laptop is in view or the pile of files you need to get through are staring at you from across the room. This failure to disconnect is not exclusive to working from home. How many of us have email notifications on our phones?
Disconnect daily from work. You cannot work all the time, every day of the week. You still need to exercise, enjoy the company of others, go outside and lounge in front of the TV.
What’s the worst that can happen if you don’t answer an email or answer a call? We all know that there are times when we need to go the extra mile, just as there are times when we just need to step back and shut off.
Working for home can be both a blessing and a curse. It can solve the childcare issues that many parents struggle with. The dog will love you for it, although the cat will view you with suspicion. Small household chores can be done and you can feel less stressed.
Or it can work the opposite way. It can feel like work is invading every inch of your home and you never truly get away from it.
But there are solutions. One is to ensure that as well as encouraging good working from home practices, that you also plan how remote working will look and feel like in practice. And if working from home really isn’t for you, seek a solution with your employer.
