Articles : Pros & Cons of Working from Home

With a lot of businesses and organizations providing a more flexible working environment, employees have a lot to think about when it comes to whether or not they’d be comfortable working from home.

Below are some of the pros and cons of working from home.

Pros of Working from Home:

1. You can set up your own work environment.
If you like listening to music while you work, you won’t have to worry about distracting anyone around you. Find yourself always cold in the office? You’re able to set the temperature to your liking when you’re by yourself. Working from home gives you the freedom to set up your workspace however you like.

2. You have a flexible schedule.
As long as you’re getting your work done and you’re communicating your schedule to your boss, you have more freedom to work during the hours you want to. You can take your lunch break at a later time, start work a little earlier or work a couple of hours over the weekend, you don’t have to “take off time” for appointments, etc.

3. Save money on commuting.
Especially if your commute is long, you can save wear and tear on your vehicle and gas money.

4. There are tax advantages.
You may be able right off some home and office expenses. Talk to your accountant about what options are available, if any, to your situation.

Cons of Working from Home:

1. You can get easily distracted.
When you’re not surrounded by your team at work, it can be hard to stay motivated. If you’re normally used to pockets of small talk throughout the day or bouncing off ideas with another co-worker, you’ll find it difficult to stay focused and get your work done.

2. Distraction from kids.
Working from home may be a challenge if you have younger children to take care of and pay more attention to. They may not understand why you need to take a phone call or why they need to stay quiet during a ZOOM meeting.

3. You don’t have a commute.
For some people, commuting can be a time of thought, planning, de-stressing, etc. So if you no longer have that time in between work and home, it could cause a strain in your day to day.

4. Equipment issues.
Working from home means that you’ll be using more technology, so you have to factor in the potential of your internet not working, if suddenly your laptop stops working, certain programs aren’t as accessible, etc. This can delay your work – when will the internet work again, when can I get my laptop fixed/replaced, what alternative programs can I use to get my work done, etc.

Click here to watch President of TorontoJobs.ca Marc Belaiche, CPA, CA discuss this topic.

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