To WFH Or Not To WFH; That Is The Question

After the pandemic and long years of social distancing, many employees have the option of working from the office or home. A research study conducted in early 2022 revealed that 82 percent of employees prefer working from home. Although remote working was enforced on the employees due to the pandemic, however, everyone grew into it. That made working from home the new normal for many employees.

Working from home has become pretty convenient for employees. One such example is that ever since the WFH tradition started, internet provider companies have amped up the internet speeds that they offer to their customers. Xfinity is one such company. Xfinity customer service is 24/7, which means that if they face any issue with services such as Xfinity internet, they can send in their queries any time of the day, whether morning or night. There are many other benefits to WFH as well, which you will come across if you keep reading.

Moving on, as an employee, if you are provided with the option of working from home or from the office, you have a lot of factors to explore.

Pros of Working from Home

Working from home allows employees the following benefits;

Zero Commute 

This is one of the biggest benefits of working from home. On average, an employee has to spend at least two hours a day on the commute, while traveling to and from work. This wastes their time which they could spend doing some productive. It also puts a hamper on the employee’s work-life balance.

This can be prevented if employees worked from home and get extra time for their personal commitments as well.

Independence

While working from home, employees might need to attend some online meetings, where they will be expected to stay within the working hours, there is always independence in when you do your assigned tasks. This allows you flexibility in how and when you do your work. 

Hence, working from home also allows employees some kind of power as an individual to organize their days with better anatomy.

Work-Life Balance

As already mentioned, working from home allows employees to enjoy their personal commitments as well. Otherwise having a rigid schedule with piled-up work can cause employees to burn out rather quickly. 

Many companies that allow the flexibility of working from home also let employees choose their own working hours. This means that employees can choose the starting and end of their work hours as they please, as long as they commit these hours to their work.

Saves Money

Working from home cuts costs for employees as well as employers. Employees do not have to spend money on the commute, food, and other extra activities that occur throughout their working day. At the same time, companies can save a lot on energy spending and other expenses for their employees.

Cons of Working From Home

 While working from home seems like a blessing, there are still some pitfalls to it as well;

No Teamwork

Naturally, working from home can be a hindrance to teamwork. One single obstacle may set the entire team off-track.

Collaborating over the phone or video calls is seemingly an inefficient way of dealing with issues since it doesn’t allow face-to-face interactions. When employees present their ideas over Zoom calls to 10 other people, it can take a lot of time for them to receive approval for these ideas. That wouldn’t be possible when collaborating face-to-face. 

Zero Productivity 

Working from home may work for some employees, but for others, it can lead to unproductivity.

The only way productivity works out for an employee is if it is based on a routine. This routine is important for maintaining steady productivity. As soon as this routine is messed up, the result can be disastrous i.e. zero productivity. Working from home is indeed very comforting, but as soon as that flow is disrupted, employees’ productivity level is affected.

Hence, working from home can turn out to be a breeding ground for procrastination or over-exertion. This also affects employees’ creativity. 

Wrapping Up: What is the Verdict?

Working from home or not working from home is an endless debate that has been going on for years. But we believe that the answer lies in creating a balance between the two i.e. hybrid work environment. You can divide the working days in such a way that you can work from the office on some days and work from home, on other days. If teamwork is essential, then employees can have meetings on the days they work from the office.

This allows both you and your company the chance to have a desirable work-life balance!

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Ajay Deep

Ajay Deep is a young enthusiast who Loves Chandigarh and is always eager to make this beautiful city even more beautiful. A Mechanical Engineer By Chance and Working in an IT MNC by Choice. A Writer, Photographer and a Budding Entrepreneur. A Designer, Developer and Digital Marketing Expert. In brief : A Jack of All Trades and Master of Few :) You may reach Ajay Deep at ajay@chandigarhmetro.com
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