Many people dream of working from home in their comfy clothes. According to a report by Global WorkPlace Analytics, 4.3 million employees are working from home at least half the time. Research indicates the remote work will equal, if not surpass, fixed office locations by the year 2025. Is working remotely a good fit for you?
If you’re considering working remotely with your current job or you’re looking for another job so that you have the ability to work remotely, there are some things to consider. There are plenty of pros and cons to working remotely and only you can know if it’s the right fit for you.
Things to Consider Before Working Remotely
Here are some things to consider before you decide to work remotely . . .
The Pros:
Location Independent
You can work wherever and whenever you’d like, for the most part. Your company may still require you to work set hours or you may need to reach a certain level of productivity every day or every week, but your schedule can be more flexible.
If it’s a nice day, you can choose to work outside. Or maybe your kitchen table is preferred over your home office. You can be more productive in the morning so you can finish your work by early afternoon. The choice is yours.
Save Money
You’ll save money. Without the need to commute every day, you’ll save money on gas, tolls, and parking. You’ll also be less likely to go out for lunch. And, you won’t need to buy as many “work” clothes and pay for dry cleaning.
Focus
You can stay more focused without coworkers popping into your office all day long to distract you with questions or new projects. You’ll need to have some willpower to avoid the pile of laundry or the TV until your work is done, but there won’t be as many distractions as you would normally have at the office.
Less Drama
You can avoid office gossip and drama. You know all of those conversations that take place in the employee break room about who’s dating who, who got promoted, and who’s in trouble with the boss? Yeah, those. No more! You’ll no longer get caught in the middle of the drama.
The Cons:
Isolation
You may feel left out. If you’re an extrovert who thrives on having people around you, you may start to feel lonely and left out. You won’t be in the office for impromptu meetings and you won’t hear all the latest news about what’s going on in the company.
Lack of Motivation
Unless you’re a self-starter, it can be hard to stay focused and productive. You may be tempted to check your Facebook feed, start the dishwasher, or make a quick run to the grocery store which will take valuable time from working and leaving you being less productive.
Making Remote Work A Success
If you decide that working remotely is for you, you can learn to manage your productivity by time blocking your schedule and turning off apps and websites that distract you. You can schedule short breaks throughout the day that allow you to take care of those chores. And, you can video conference into office meetings so that you can still be part of what’s going on.
There are ways to make it work for you, but it can still get lonely. Only you can decide if it’s the right choice. You may want to present the idea to your boss and ask to try it out for a few weeks or month before making it permanent to determine if it works for you.
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