2020 and 2021 have been two very different years, with the COVID-19 pandemic rampaging worldwide. With offices and institutions shut down, most of us were confined within our homes and forced to find alternative ways of getting things done – working from home.
Now that situations have greatly improved, companies have asked their employees to resume working in the office. However, many are not keen on going back to the old ways of working and instead want to continue working from home.
In the light of the previous two years and now when things have gone back to almost normal, here are some of the advantages of working from home vs working in the office.
Advantages of Working From Home
Work from home, or remote working, is an employment arrangement that allows employees to work from anywhere, including their homes, without actually having to commute or be present in the office. Though the coronavirus pandemic made work from home an essential in countries with social distance regulations, work from home has been in practice in several companies even before the pandemic. Given below are the major benefits of working from home:
- Lowered commute stress
Without the need to travel to the workspace every day, employees can easily avoid the stress of daily commuting. Not only does this help employees lower stress and anxiety, but it can also save time and resources which can be otherwise used productively. Furthermore, it also prevents the development of major health conditions like high cholesterol or blood sugar.
- Better work-life balance
Working from home allows employees to have a flexible schedule as long as productivity is maintained. This also helps workers to conveniently plan their work-life balance, complete chores around the household and spend more time with their loved ones.
- Convenience
Convenience is one of the biggest reasons behind people still wanting to continue working from home. Not only does it allow greater flexibility in the working schedule, but it also grants employees greater independence in terms of location. For jobseekers, working from home opens up a wider range of job opportunities without being restricted to a particular geographical location.
Advantages of Working in the Office
Working in the office is a more conventional employment setup than working from home and is practised by almost all companies. Unlike working from home, working in the office requires employees to physically commute to their workplaces for a specific period of time. Some of the advantages of working in the office include:
- Improved time management
Being in an office environment has its own perks, one of them being better time management. Because offices have fixed working hours and breaks, the employees are required to adjust their working style around the time slots and maintain punctuality. This can help employees develop better time management skills.
- Professional behaviour and interpersonal skills
Working in an office plays a massive role in getting employees acquainted with appropriate professional behaviours and responses. Being in an office environment allows them to grow conscious of the people around them and pick up interpersonal skills necessary in their profession. It also helps them boost their communication skills and custom and learn and develop meaningful relationships with their colleagues.
- Socialisation
One of the biggest perks of working from the office is socialisation with others. A report from a survey shows that 49% of the people felt lonely when working from home. Especially people who stay alone can feel increased anxiety and suffer from depression during a prolonged period of working from home. Socialising with colleagues and being able to go out is one of the best things about working from the office.
Final Words
Simply put, there really can’t be any comparisons when it comes to working from home vs office since each offers different sets of benefits and comes with its own sets of cons. This is the reason many companies, as well as employees, are choosing a hybrid mode of working, i.e., working from home for a few days and from the office on other days.
