The Benefits and Slight Disadvantages to Working at Home

There advantages & disadvantages of working from home compared to working from an office. A case can be made for either side. I have been on both sides of the fence myself. I think I can provide a unique perspective to this debate.

However it is very important to do some research on the work at home opportunity before jumping into it. There are numerous fraudulent websites and online services that only advertise about work at home opportunities but do not offer anything at all. Read the fine print of the contract to avoid unnecessary complications and make sure you find out if the organization is legitimate or not before signing up for it. I certainly did before happily committing my time and resources to owning my own Herbalife business!

Today, I will be looking at the benefits and, in my opinion, slight disadvantages of working from home.

Benefits

Save time on commuting

The average commuting time to work is approx. 30-45 min. Multiply that by two to get back home at the end of the day, and you have spent close to 10% of your day just on commuting. Working from home leads to saving money and time on fuel and transport time. This can help you get a little bit more sleep in the morning and have more time for yourself in the evening for activities & leisure.

Save money on transportation

When you work from home, you may not even need a car altogether. This can save you $300-400 a month plus the costly gas, parking, repair, and insurance expenses. Simply not taking the bus or subway will save you $50-100 per month in bus tickets or passes. Arguably the biggest money saving benefit from working at home is the transportation cost savings.

Save money on lunches & shopping

One of the biggest expenses working from an office is food. You get fed up of packing a lunch after a while. Once you start eating out, it’s very hard to stop! Not only that, but just walking around stores and boutiques during breaks, you are more likely to spend money that you normally wouldn’t if you were working from home. Plus, at home, you can be more creative with your lunches, and it will never feel like a “packed lunch”. So not only you save money, but you eat healthier as well.

Less likely to get sick

There is also the threat of getting sick at the office, where if one person has a virus, it’s almost impossible not to get it. There is the possibility of losing about 7-10 days per year on sick days, something that I never encountered working from home. This also makes you save money on health costs since you are not in need of medication or doctor visits as frequently.

Expenses are deductible

This can work for both employees and self-employed people. You can deduct your internet, phone, supplies, and even the square footage that you use in your home to work. For self-employed, it’s a must, and for employees, you can always ask for your company to pay for your internet access, phone line, and supplies. This saves you the cost of having those items also as personal expenses since you already have it for business usage in your home.

More flexible schedule

When working from home, you are not under the same discipline as office workers where you absolutely need to be working from 9 to 5 every weekday. Chances are, your schedule at home is much easier to bend. Therefore, if you have appointments or you need to buy something at the store quickly, you do not need to take a day off from work. I know some office workers that have to take a day off from work if they want to do some personal shopping or errands, otherwise they just do not have the time outside work hours. It’s much easier to tie in your personal schedule with your work schedule when you work from home. There are not any vacation limits, either!

Less stress & anxiety

Just off the top of my head, I can think of at least 5 people I know that had to take extended time off from work due to stress, burnouts, and the likes. I’ve never ever heard of that from anyone working from home. An office can bring about a lot of competition, gossip, and backstabbing among co-workers. This type of environment takes its toll after a while both mentally and physically. Working from home will save you these headaches.

Increased productivity

With all the time that you are saving from not having to commute to work, and not socializing half the day with co-workers, you end up getting a lot more done when you are working from home. As long as you remain motivated and driven, working from home is much more effective to deliver results.

Less negative influences

Sadly, an office is riddled with a few people that take joy into bringing everyone around them down. This is not done by the gossiping & competition I talked about above. This is the lingo that is used daily by people in the office. Some people will just complain about everything and it affects the psyche of everyone around them. I have seen people with great potential have their momentum & motivation completely destroyed in a matter of weeks simply because they were spending their breaks and lunches with these office “parasites” that will badmouth the company at any given opportunity. When working from home, you do not have to deal with these types of people. You only have to answer to yourself, and as long as you keep a positive outlook, you will have nothing to worry about.

Closer relationship with kids/family

Obviously, if you are home more often, you will dramatically increase the chances of spending quality time with your loved ones, and at the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want? I know I would have loved for my parents to have been home more often when I was a kid, so this is a huge positive that cannot be denied. Working from home allows you to have such freedom which you just cannot put a price tag on.

Slight Disadvantages

Just like work at home jobs are advantageous; they have their share of disadvantages. It tends to create isolation, boredom and loneliness with some people as there is no social interaction with colleagues. If you are a person who loves everyday social contact with other people and enjoy working as a close knit team, then working from home may not interest you.

There is usually a complaint of having lack of technical support in work from home jobs. Fortunately, I have plenty. Another big challenge is separating work and home life. Working at home is tricky. There's always something to do, improve, fix, read, answer, etc. To succeed in working from home, decide on your daily time table, and stick to it.

The Great Path to Success: Yourself

You have a greater advantage in succeeding working from home when you are self-motivated and organized in your life. It takes a very special type of person to maintain a successful home business. Granted, many people can keep themselves motivated, but the success of a home-based business does still depend on that one individual. Make it a point to maintain constant relationships with both your online and offline contacts, and you are sure to find success in your work at home business. Furthermore, most self-employed individuals attend trade shows and conferences to help them in getting ideas and becoming innovative in what they do.