Most of us telecommuters have a love-hate relationship with working from home. The benefits are endless, but the cons will certainly get in the way of your productivity. Fast Company asked their readers about what they love and hate about working from home; here are some of the highlights.
You Love the Freedom
Freedom is probably the most enticing part about working from home. You do what you want, when you want. There are no managers looking over your shoulders, micromanaging is a mere myth, and you choose your own hours.
"My rules. My way. My pace. My goals. I cannot stress enough how important it is to me that I'm working for something I personally care about in a creative manner. When I create I get messy and my bosses usually were too psycho-rigid," said @Alan_RY.
You Hate the Isolation
When working from home, you can go an entire day (for some, days) without having an actual conversation without another person. If this goes on for too long, it can certainly start getting to you.
"There are moments of loneliness. That deck I'm working on, the copy I just wrote; while I can email it to a friend or co-worker there's no one in person to sit and review/collaborate/iterate with me on it. I can't exactly have my dog review it. The companionship that you get by going into an office and developing live relationships is something that I miss," said @icyfrance.
You Love Being Close to Loved Ones
Going to work, especially when you have a long commute, can get in the way of your time with loved ones. Working from home opens up time to work on your relationships with people who matter the most.
"For eight years I worked more than an hour away from home, so there were many early mornings and late nights. Working from home, I am able to help around the house and experience life with my family--like watching my daughter take her first steps," said @trent_scott.
You Hate Not Having Boundaries
While you enjoy spending more time with your loved ones, it's often the same people that don't quite understand how your job works. People tend to think they can drop in on you at any time, or that you are available without notice to accompany them on a day-time adventure. Additionally, you don't have boundaries for yourself. As @aromacentric points out, you don't even have to change out of your pajamas to begin work.
"Sitting down at your computer as soon as you roll out of bed only to realize upon opening the door to the courier at 4 p.m. that you are still in your bathrobe and have not eaten lunch. And possibly not brushed your teeth. Not sure if that's the best or the worst thing about working from home: high on productivity but low on the social health scale."
What do you love and hate about working from home?
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