The year 2020 has been life-changing for almost everyone around the globe. The sudden occurrence of the fatal pandemic has affected everyone adversely. With masks, sanitizers, and lots more, we all got introduced to the ‘new normal. Well, not just that, it also made us very familiar with the Work from Home concept, and many companies adapted to this new work culture in no time.

When a person is working in their personnel setting rather than going to the office regularly at a specific time. This concept has gained popularity with various names, such as work from home, remote working, telecommuting, etc. The outbreak of the pandemic compelled organizations to switch to remote working, as a measure to keep productivity intact while being considerate about the employees’ health.

Every newly introduced concept has its own flaws and benefits, so does WFH. Here we have tried to highlight a few eminent and noticeable pros & cons of remote working and it goes as follows.

We will start with the list of pros.

Better Employee Satisfaction

It has been evident that employees always find it difficult to strike a balance between their personal & professional life. With the introduction of remote working, this problem has eventually vanished and made their lives much easier.

Employees can now finish up their little household chores while working. For instance, he/she can do the laundry while responding to work-related emails. Work from home has helped in easing out the stress of managing work life and home.

For employers, remote working has been a valuable tool as they are able to hire more people. Today’s generation admires flexibility and remote working allows them to work according to their convenience.

Increased Efficiency and Productivity

It has also been evident that work from home has helped in increasing the productivity of the employees as they are able to take sufficient breaks according to their will. These breaks help in relaxing their body and mind and thus helps in increasing their productivity.

Although one might assume that there could be inevitable distractions at home, the fact of the matter is that these distractions are easy to avert as compared to those at the workplace

It’s a complete win-win for the employee as well as the employer! With this concept, companies can now get better quality and quantity of work, while the employees can enjoy a better and convenient work-life balance.

Work from Home Helps in Saving Money

Remote working has enabled employees to save lots of money by averting long commutes, money spent on the usage of public transportation, and various other extra expenditures that were inexorable while they were working from the office.

For the organizations, the WFH concept has helped in saving money from the expenses of real estate. Other costs have also eventually been cut down like electricity, food & beverages cost, etc. Not only it saves money but also helps the employees to avoid the regular annoying traffic or overcrowded public transports. And this ultimately helps them in starting their day in a great mood and on a positive note.

Prevention of loss in the business even after a natural calamity

The pandemic has been a great lesson for everyone in the business and organizations have learned the importance of adapting in accordance to the situations. Organizations not only made the necessary alterations but also learned to make the best use of this transformation.

Telecommuting has made it easier and feasible for businesses to keep moving ahead and have also paved a new path for them. This new normal has not been quite easy but the businesses have definitely gained an understanding of the new situations and are still trying to cope with them to their best potential.

A Few Additional Benefits

Work from home has given employees the liberty and convenience to work at their comfort and still be disciplined and independent. It also makes them feel that the organization has entrusted them and thus they feel immensely motivated to work.

Virtual discussions and meetings also tend to be a tad bit more fruitful than physical ones. It saves many resources, time being the most important one.

Structured Working is Much Feasible for Some Employees

Remote working needs a lot of discipline and dedication and not everyone can maintain that. Some people require a particular structured environment and the office ambiance provides that. While various studies might suggest that employees working from home are very productive, at times it is quite evident that the office environment helps in increasing productivity.

Balancing the work & home also can be a challenge. When one is working from home, they often tend to pay more attention to the family and home chores, thus hampering the work. The transition from office working to remote working has been difficult for many.

Also, not to forget face to face interaction with the team helps to come out with better solutions and facilitates efficient working. Also, human interaction is necessary for some people to function properly.

The Management Prefers Working from Office

Various reports suggest that various top management employees prefer working from the office. They prefer keeping an eye on their subordinate’s work to ensure good quality of work. The monitoring of work is a great challenge for the managers and thus being with their subordinates in the same room helps to deal with that.

Managers can also provide time-to-time guidance to the employees in a much efficient manner while they are all working from the office. Not just that, the management and its members can also identify the strengths and weaknesses of their employees in a better manner.

WFH: A Major Threat to the Security

Various studies have shown that employers have been constantly facing several issues when it comes to telecommuters and security systems. Most cyber-attacks have been possible when the employees have been negligent.

Most people would often visit a nearby cafe or friend’s home to work and use their wifi, which is actually a threat to the security system. Stealing data becomes much more feasible outside the office rather than inside the workplace.

However, employers have tried their level best to avert this problem by educating the employees about various cyber threats and precautions to be taken.

Hampering the Health of the Employees

Though one must assume that while the employees are working from home, it is easier to take good care of their health but it can be a complete contrast at times. Regularly going to the office creates a routine in one’s life and thus assists in maintaining a balanced life.

There have also been several instances, where the employees have been mentally disturbed while working from home. The office provides a change of ambiance and often brings positivity and motivation.

Also, it has been evident that remote working has brought monotony and boredom in people’s lives, resulting in indirectly hampering their health.

After monitoring all the pros and cons, we can say that every change, be it good or bad comes with a cost that one has to bear. In the same manner, remote working has its own perks and shortcomings and at the end of the day, it totally depends on how an individual is able to perceive it and adapt to it.