Disadvantages Of Working From Home

by Ben Cole Nov 10, 2021

The method of doing business has changed recently. People now carry out business and work transactions from anywhere in the world online; distance and location not being a barrier to the success of such business. All thanks to technology like Skype, FaceTime, Slack, Zoom, Google Hangouts, authenticator apps, other media, and cloud computing; working from home is now easier. 

Even the work environment has begun to take shape in this regard with terms like remote work, distributed teams, and digital nomad being frequently used. As the rate of vaccinated citizens increases, many companies are opening up and trying to adopt remote-by-choice options. 

Of course, there are a number of advantages that accrues to those who work remotely from their homes. In fact, the numerous advantages of remote work are what many look at and follow the trend of working from the comfort of their homes.  

The advantages of working from home include the following: 

• There is a balance between personal life and work 
• Fewer expenses especially in regards to transportation 
• You can be located anywhere; not just at home 
• Better savings as a result of fewer expenses 
• Reduced stress and anxiety 

• Imported productivity and results in jobs done 
• And so much more  

These advantages speak volumes about how beautiful working from home can be; easy, less stressful, and profitable we must commend. 

However, on the flip side of the coin, there are disadvantages that working from home through online technology allows. These disadvantages are not easily identified and acknowledged by workers, companies, and managers but they do exist and affect work and family in their little ways. 

Since working from home is quite a new subject for discussion, many companies that have applied it has very few arguments against it. Through this article, we intend to educate you on the disadvantages that come with working remotely and why you should consider carefully before adopting such a method in your private business or a company. Are you ready? 

Why you should not work from home 

1. Problem implementing-companies culture 

This disadvantage of working remotely will be better understood by company managers who intend to employ the services of remote workers and distributed teams. Every organization has its culture, norms, and laws that guide behavior among members of staff; such culture is held in very high regard. 

With working from home, managers will find it difficult to ensure that employees comply with the prevalent company culture. You may ask - how does this affect work? Well, a culture of secrecy can be affected because there will be no monitoring of staff to prevent them from 'spilling the beans. A culture of hierarchy can be affected since staff will either not know their immediate superior or simply disrespect them. For company culture to be strictly adhered to, remote working is not the best way to go. 

2. Communication gap

In a normal workspace setting, questions can be asked and answers gotten from colleagues or managers alike, you can get help on how to go about an assignment you were given and get the job done in no time, and so on. This privilege is not available when working remotely - you are simply left alone with your computer and other gadgets as your only companion. With this, errors on assignments become very rampant and deadlines are breached since the information to complete the job is not readily available. 

Also, the concept of digital nomads means management of the organization will find it difficult to call for meetings that will allow for a good attendance of the relevant. Since some staffs work from home, meetings are held and information passed to them later. This information may reach them later than it should have. This is how greatly communication (upward and downward) is affected by working from home. 

3. Less productivity

It is pretty difficult to draw the line between family, home, and work. The distractions that come with working from home make it harder to produce quality jobs and excellent delivery on assignments. What distractions? You have your TV and the temptation to switch it on, children playing and stepping into your workspace, you just placed the food in the microwave to warm and have to be wary so it doesn't get burnt, the list goes on and on. Working from home may not equal productivity in work. 

Also, remote work means that the home may not be equipped with the necessary office equipment and gadgets to produce great jobs and perform assigned tasks. Do you have that photocopying machine? Is the printer in place? Working from home may not avail you the privilege of having all needed gadgets and this, in turn, reduces productivity. 

4. Address and Capital acquisition

It is no news that credit companies and financiers require a business address, a physical one while considering approving a loan facility for a business. So, what this means is that your home address (which would have been separate from your work address) will be in the full glare of the public. This may be very serious when safety is concerned. 

Working from home simply means your house address is the same as your business address; we do not speak of a PO Box or any of that kind - credit financiers may not identify with that. 

Working from home, like every other thing, is not a perfect resolution. If you decide to work and do your business from home, a lot of things must be in place. One of such is that you must give yourself deadlines for the accomplishments of tasks and be dedicated to meeting such deadlines. Once a deadline is stated, it becomes easier to know when to rest, prepare meals, take breaks, and work. But without deadlines, your activities as you work at home will be greatly disorganized. 

Other tips for working at home perfectly include: take clear breaks, maintain communication with other workers, communicate the goals to be achieved with someone at home, and set rules for those in your home not to affect your workspace.