In this installment I will look at the benefits of working at home versus working at the office. For those of you that have been lucky to experience both are encouraged to give your feedback.
It is everyone’s dream to be able to work their own hours, arrange the work schedule around their lives and not have to go into the office on a daily basis. For the past 4 years I have worked in various fields as a telecommuter. It has had its benefits but it also has a lot of headaches that are included with the package.
Working at the office entails a lot of experiences. You are in a team environment, dedicated solely to getting the job done while seeing that the company succeeds. You have a reason to leave the house and more reason to work your way through the ranks.
The Benefits of the Office:
- Variety of people to interact with
- Resources available to you at little to no cost
- You can ask someone in the matter of seconds if you have a question
- Provides just enough change of routine so that you don’t entirely hate your home
The Downside of the Office:
- Constant interuptions – with more people equals more (and sometimes unwanted) communication
- Time away from friends and family – it can take a toll on you socially
- Staying at the office too much could result in increased stress and fatigue
Working from Home is breath of fresh air. You can choose the hours you work, complete other tasks while you work, and more. Above all else – you can’t beat the office attire!
For yours truly – working at home entails modulating my work. I can go to class, come home to knock out an hour of work, go back to class and repeat the process throughout the day. Another upside is if I get too frustrated with what I’m doing – I can release the frustration during a 10 min break. The best part about home – those breaks can include PS2.
The Upsides of Working at Home:
- Save on traveling costs
- Work from the comfort of a couch, desk, or recliner
- Choose when you finish your work
- Complete work with less distractions
The Downsides of Working at Home:
- You have to make sure your resources are up to speed
- You have to be an even greater master of time management
- You must steer clear of distractions at home when you finally decide to work
- Communication between coworkers and employees can become difficult
As you can see, no matter where you work, you will run into various upsides and downsides regarding the environment you are in. Find the one that produces the most effective and highest quality of work. Once you find that, dreading those nasty work days will become a memory.
Bobby Hash is the lead designer and developer at HM Designs. He is also the Site IT Director and Payroll Administrator for Results Galax, a call center dedicated to XM Radio.
I am a firm believer that a happy medium between the two is the best. I have worked both at home and the office and find that working in a coffee shop or Panera has become my productivity haven. At home I mosey around and find things to do before I start work. At the 9-5, stuck in a cubicle, where I am now, I find myself with a loss of creativity and full of wondering the web (which did bring me here and its a good read). Eating a bagel with mild people watching gets my creative juices going and things just come out naturally. Just my 2 cents!
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, so they said. I bet office workers would always envy those who work from home and need not try to beat the traffic every single day. Meanwhile people who work from home but not totally enjoying it may start to think they should go back to office and enjoy the “working group spirits” again.
The person who has tried both and have the freedom to choose is the luckiest worker in the world, hehe.