Since the pandemic, there has been an increased number of people who have decided to let their employees work from home. It is something which the younger generation is often looking for when applying for jobs. However, this isn’t exactly a good thing for a company as there have been many negatives since it became a benefit for employees.
There have been many studies on people who work from home and identifying the pros and cons for those who do it. Although there are pros and cons to this, it all depends on the individual. Let’s look at the benefits of working from home and whether it is good for businesses.
Work From Anywhere
One of the benefits of working from home is that you don’t need to work from home. You can work anywhere you want. As long as you have an internet connection to do your work, you can work from anywhere.
It is most suitable for those who wish to travel while still earning an income. Some people will work in co-working spaces, others work in a coffee shop and some work in a friend’s home. Some people will even work from a hotel room.
What Are The Positives and Negatives of Working From Home?
There are many pros and cons when working from home. One of the main positives of doing this is that you can have a flexible working schedule. For example, if you want to start work at 8-4, you can. For those who wish to start work later, they can. The employees can also work out during their working hours before working again.
Another positive with working from home is that you don’t have to commute. Commuting to and from work can take up a lot of time during the day. Working from home means you no longer have to sit for hours in traffic each week.
There are some disadvantages with WFH. One of those is that people suffer from loneliness. Employees won’t speak to others unless it is through email or text messages. Communication is a massive factor for being productive and getting things done at work. Other people find it difficult to disconnect from their work because it is at home.
Working from home can be very lonely and leads to people suffering from mental health issues after a certain amount of time. However, it isn’t just the mental well-being that it can affect. It can also affect the physical health of employees as well.
Distractions
Although working from home can offer great benefits, there are more distractions when working from home therefore, employees are not working when at home. The reason is that there are many distractions at home. One of those is the television. It is easy to have the television on in the background as you work and the next thing you know, you are no longer working and watching television.
It isn’t just watching television that can be distracting. It also includes many other things such as shopping online and browsing social media. These are all tasks you won’t be doing in the office as you are not supervised.
Can You Be Productive When Working From Home?
Being productive is something else that is in question when working from home. Many people say they are productive when working from home however, some people don’t feel productive. That is why they prefer working in the office.
It is a generational thing. The older people are, the more productive they are when working from home. Many people from Generation Z will admit they do not complete their full 8-hour shifts. It soon adds up and a business will start to notice that work is not being completed like it is when employees work in the office.
Being Honest With Yourself
Another issue is that people are not honest with themselves when working from home. There are many issues when working from home however, if you are not getting work done, you need to remind yourself of the repercussions. That work you didn’t do on Monday must be completed the next day. Deadlines are set and if you don’t meet those deadlines then there could be some issues.
A good way to motivate yourself when working from home is to reward yourself. If you have completed all of the tasks which you set yourself, reward yourself. Make work enjoyable and not just something you wake up every day to pay the bills.
How Does A Business Attract Employees Back To The Office?
If you are a company that is looking for new ways to attract employees back to the office, there are many things you can do. It isn’t an easy task and getting all of your employees back in the office may not be possible. However, you can get a majority of employees back into the office which is better than nobody.
One of the benefits that you could offer your employees is extra pay. It doesn’t need to be too much, just enough per month that will get people out of their homes. If you don’t want to do this, offer people flexible hours so they can start and finish work whenever they want. You could also offer to pay their commuting to work costs. All you have to do is ask for proof of their commute and add this to their wage.
Something else you can do is consider an office redesign. To maximise efficiency in your office, you need to redesign your space so most employees are happy. For example, create different workstations. One area could be for the sociable workers to share the same table. Another area could be for those who wish to work alone.
You could also have an area of the room for people who can have their lunches such as a kitchen/ break out room. If you have an outside area, consider artificial grass in Melbourne to make the outside more green. All of these show you are considering your employees and offering the best possible workspace.
Final Opinions
There are mixed opinions about people working from home. Some people love the idea and other people don’t find it productive. From a business perspective, it may not be good at all. There is less work being completed with those who work from home so most employees must work in the office.
To get people back into the office, you should consider an office fit out. An office redesign can help maximise the space you have and create a more productive but sociable for your employees.
