Working at Home - The Pros and Cons

The idea of working from home seems irresistible. Millions of commute every day to an office in our most professional appearance, who wouldn’t like the idea of being able to sleep later and report to work in a bathrobe?

By all appearances, a growing number of people opt to work from home, also known as telecommuting. The number of people who telecommute daily is difficult to measure, but one high-tech research firm reported that in 2008, an estimated 30 million Americans worked at least part of the time from home.

In addition, a growing number of Americans operate their own businesses from home. Types of home-based businesses vary widely, but some of the most popular include massage therapist, computer repair technician, virtual assistant, website designer and freelance writer.

If you can find a way to make a living at home, or if your employer allows telecommuting, working from home sounds appealing. It is important, however, to weigh the advantages and the drawbacks associated with this option.

Advantages of working from home include saving money and flexible schedules.

Saving money

This is one of the main reasons for working at home or telecommuting. When reporting to work means walking from your bedroom to your desk, this means time and money saved driving to and from the office. However, the savings don’t end there. Working from home also means less money spent buying and caring for business attire (no ties, guys!). You save more money by preparing meals at home rather than going out for lunch. Working parents become their own childcare providers. For working parents, this may also mean more time with the kids.

Flexible schedules

The flexibility associated with working at home is tremendous. Suppose your child has a doctor’s appointment and you’re way overdue for getting the car serviced. No problem if you work at home. If you miss time during “traditional” work hours, you can always make them up in the evenings. You control how you structure your workday!

Telecommuting or operating a home-based business, however, has pitfalls and drawbacks. Here are a few to watch out for distractions, overwork and isolation.

Distractions, distractions, distractions

The boss is not looking over your shoulder, which is a plus for telecommuters. However, this makes self-discipline an essential characteristic for telecommuters. If you are prone to procrastination, working from home can be a real problem. Remember, the operative word is WORKING - not watching daytime TV, cleaning house, surfing the Web, or playing solitaire on the computer. People working from home who have children may find it necessary to set boundaries. Operators of home-based businesses have the strongest incentive for focus and self-discipline - after all, if they don’t get their work done, they don’t earn money.

Tendency toward overwork

As stated previously, people who operate their own businesses from home have a strong incentive not to procrastinate. However, this can go to the other extreme: if more time at work translates to more money, this can create an incentive to overwork. If working from home means longer work days and weeks, then you may lose the flexibility and increased quality time with family that you wanted in the first place!

Isolation

Camaraderie, chatting around the water cooler, and informal work-related discussions are natural parts of the office environment. Home-based workers lose the social aspect of a traditional workplace. The advantages, however, may outweigh this and other disadvantages.