The number of people working online from home has grown in some countries. What advantages and disadvantages come from this trend?
Traditionally, people used to travel to a physical workplace to perform their jobs. However, with the rise of the internet, the number of people working remotely has increased in a few nations. This trend has positive implications such as time savings and environmental protection, whereas lost productivity is the primary issue with this latest development.
The main advantage of working from home is the reduction in commute time. This is a common issue in urban areas. Some people spend as much as four hours a day commuting to and from their office. Not only is this a waste of time that could have been spent productively, but it is also added to the pollutions due to harmful emissions from vehicles people use to commute to their workplaces. By working from home, the time spent commuting is greatly reduced and pollution is also controlled, which in turn, helps people living a healthy life.
In contrast, there are some challenges associated with work from home option. There are numerous distractions present at homes, such as television and noisy neighbours. Employees may also find it difficult to manage their time if there are household chores that must be completed, like doing laundry. Both of these factors may reduce the quality of their work. If they are in a physical workplace, they are likely to find it easier to focus.
To conclude, working from home has certain disadvantages such as avoiding travelling hassle and contributing to the environment by minimising the use of vehicles. At the same time, distractions due to not having a dedicated working space are one of the main challenges with working from home as it affects overall productivity.