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Advantages and disadvantages of everyday work at home

Many employees consciously choose to work one or more days a week from home if this is approved by their employer. Increasingly more companies are offering their employees this option.

Sometimes, it is difficult to reconcile family, private appointments and work. Therefore, working from home makes life easier for a number of employees, provided that the employer allows it. So far only a few companies do. But what consequences does working from home have and what duties does it entail?

The main idea behind working from home is that it facilitates the compatibility of private life and work. If you have small children or somebody who needs looking after in your family, it allows you to work and at the same time keep an eye on the offspring or the sick person. You can also make arrangements for private appointments during the day, since your work schedule is much more flexible. In addition, this flexibility creates a sense of freedom and self-determination, and can increase work morale and therefore productivity.

However, working in a home office also has its disadvantages. On the one hand, it hinders transparency and creates a certain potential of distrust compared to working in the office, where the boss has control over his employees at every moment, so to speak. On the other hand, it allows work to enter you own privacy, whereas it is so important to separate work and private life in order to be able to relax and set your mind on other things.

If you can separate your job and private life, despite working from home, and if you have the necessary hardware and software, you can work non-stop and above all undisturbed from home much better than in an open-space office for example. The familiar environment also has a positive effect on the mind and enhances creativity. Nevertheless, the possible level of productivity or distraction depends on each individual person. Your own home can quickly become a distraction.

However, your own four walls cannot offer social contacts and teamwork. For those who often work together with others or rely on their feedback, the daily work routine would become much more difficult at home. In this case, it is advisable to use your home office, say, only part-time or once a week making an exact plan of what work to keep for that day.

For all home workers, however, a suitably furnished office where they can work uninterruptedly is crucial. Only then will you have peace and quiet and be able to concentrate on your work. The right technical equipment should also be available.