Working from home or working from the office?
Is working from home more productive than working in the office? What do you think?
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Mar 17, 2020
This is a great thread for those looking for the benefits of working from home during the coronavirus outbreak (when many of us are forced to work remotely).
Jan 31, 2019
Working from an office is totally different. You need to be on time (unless you have flexible hours), dressed accordingly, spend time in the traffic, find a parking space and then, need to please your colleagues on whatever is expected from you. With all the tools we have under our hands, on our computer or smartphone, I don't think we need an office anymore with the work which is getting more and more dematerialized. If you need to meet with someone, I will recommend you to invite your guest to a space you rent for the occasion. There are a lot of such premises available for short term rental.
Apr 17, 2018
My best advice is to experiment with both to see what you like and dislike to find the right fit (or a ratio of the two of them) for you.
Apr 15, 2018
You are free to do as you please. You can work in shorts and a t-shirt. No one looks over your shoulder. You can write off a small portion of your home office expenses on your taxes.
Apr 4, 2018
Hi Robert,
Yes, it's pretty much up to you. I, for example, work from home because my job lets me, but I did have to create a home office for myself. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to get peace and quiet I need in order to get the job done.
It was a somewhat bigger remodel because I had to add an extra room and rely on my architects from Melbourne, these are the guys http://www.superdraft.com.au/melbourne-architectural-services. But I am sure that not every home needs such a remodeling project in order to get the office done if you wish to work from home.
But when I used to work at the office, it was also good, sometimes, but sometimes the people there were just unbearable. So basically, make a list of pros and cons and do the math. :)
Mar 28, 2018
I frequently work at home if I don't have any in-person appointments (maybe just phone) and mostly computer work, etc. However, I have two chihuahuas who have my nerves shot because it can be super quiet and they'll bark all of a sudden and scare me to death!
That said, I do make it happen, working from home, but if I really want to have uninterrupted focus on something with a major deadline or important project, I have to head to the office.
As a side note, even if you work from home, DRESS for the day. Don't work in your PJ's. Dress as if you're going to see clients or customers, even if you'll only be doing phone calls, for example. Dressing for the job, keeps you focused and driven while working at home. I ALWAYS dress for the job, no matter what :)
Michelle Arbeau
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Featured Columnist & Face/Brand of LotteryUSA.com
http://www.MichelleArbeau.com
Mar 28, 2018
I think it depends on the employee and your positon. I have worked from home periodically during my career and feel that it is definitely a great way to get things done without interruption. I currently work from home one day a week and that day is my catch up day. It is the only day I am not bombarded by meetings or being pulled away.
On the other hand I worked from home exclusively for 3 months before leaving a company as I relocated to another city. The problem was that I did get my job done yet I felt very left out regarding everything that was going on in the office. Because I was at home most would forget to include me in meetings, I wouldn't get to hear announcements in the office on the fly and I really missed the collaboration with my fellow co-workers.
I have worked with others that do not work well in an at home environment. There are a lot of distractions and the person working from home needs to be disciplined.
In conclusion I feel working from home is something that is very necessary in management positions for at least 1-2 days per week so the manager can stay focused. Any employee has to know that working from home requires a lot of discipline and they have to be able to stay focused. Lastly, working from home to much or all together can make someone feel like they are not really a huge part of an organization. This is my experience. I feel each individual and each position is different so it is a case by case basis.
Jan 31, 2018
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Jan 30, 2018
I'd like to 'work' from home but I know, nothing would be done.
And in my job,IT Support Analyst, I'm unable to work from home.
Some users require face to face interaction to explain to them how to switch on a laptop/desktop or even their monitor.
Jan 26, 2018
As on my experience, I don't like working from the office. Why? Because of frames are everywhere. I could do all tasks for 4 hours but I should be at the office until 6 p.m.
Advantages of the working from home:
-I can work anytime (in the early morning, or at night);
-I can work anywhere (at the seaside, in the bed, in the coffee-shops);
-I can spend time with my family;
-Can work and travel;
So, I really like working remotely! :)
Oct 6, 2017
It's all depends.
Some people Love to go to the office and some love freedom and work from home. Both have their own Pros and Cons.
If you go to the office, you have to work from 9-5 what you boss or manager has assigned to you. if you complete you task then either you are not going to tell your manager and relax rest of the time or tell your manager and start working on different project.
At the same time if you are working from home, You have a lot of freedom and you can work according to you (having burger, pizza, coke whatever you want, even without suit and bath). if you have completed your task you can go for a movie, do your own personal work, etc. and and at the end of the day send project completion report to your boss. that's it.
It's just said but it all depend on you which environment suits you.
Oct 6, 2017
I think it depends on several factors:
1. The work ethics and work habits of the person
This varies from one person to the next. (some people thrive in an environment of having others around for help in generating ideas, motivation by seeing others working hard, dressing in professional attire versus sitting at home in your sweatpants, etc.)
2. The nature of the work. Some work may require more concentration than others and the slightest distraction could affect the output of the work.
3. The set up of the home office environment and the presence of outside distractions (home life situation…kids, no kids, pets, other house mates).
Working in the office may be more productive. It is certainly cheaper for individuals without the overhead cost of keeping warm at home and unwanted distraction from friends and family. It is only productive if it is convenient for individuals in special circumstances.
- JSON formatter -
Oct 3, 2017
That depends on your job. I find working from home more productive for me. My corporate job tended to attract people to my desk so working from home I enjoyed fewer interruptions.
Now that I freelance, I love working from home. Once you set a schedule, it's a productive way to work. But you must set and keep a schedule, otherwise, you'll never get work done.
I always go out and network at least once a week, as you need to meet clients and associates face to face regularly.
Oct 3, 2017
On very few occasions do I need a professional office space & my local virtual offices will rent me one for $10/hour. Being self employed, if I book a job, I can rearrange my schedule to do office type work the following day. And because there is a lot of downtime when I am on the job, I can quickly respond to important calls or emails with a, "I'm booked today, what is the best time to reach you tomorrow?" I love working from home. Most of my morning emails can be prioritized over coffee. I keep an ongoing list of what needs to be done, prioritize & add to it every morning. The best part is I can make a lot of networking events & schedule one to ones & lunches to continue to build my referral base.
Oct 3, 2017
Working in the office may be more productive if one is not able to keep the home distractions to a minimal.
Oct 3, 2017
Hello Robert. I have been working from home for more than 20 years. As a professional consultant and coach in international business development, I have the privilege to travel outside of the country from time to time which helps me create value with my consulting and coaching activities. It makes my day to day obligations different and I feel less isolated from the real world. It is also important to maintain virtual contact with colleagues and customers on a relular basis with videoconference applications. Above all, I do believe you need a quantitative objective in order to keep yourself motivated. I had a professional experience in the past few years where there was no target to aim with the Group I was collaborating for and found myself alone with no support from the upper management to achieve my duties. I was not able to make it!
Working from an office is totally different. You need to be on time (unless you have flexible hours), dressed accordingly, spend time in the traffic, find a parking space and then, need to please you colleagues whatever is expected from you. With all the tools we have under our hands, on our computer or smartphone, I don't think we need an office anymore with the work which is getting more and more dematerialized. If you need to meet with someone, I will recommend you to invite your guess in a space you rent for the occasion. There are a lot of such premises available for short term rental.
If you need more advice, place get in touch.
Oct 3, 2017
Working from home is a feasible option if one has immense discipline and an understanding family. Trust me, nothing gets done on the work front if you let the daily things of home distract you. I'd prefer office anytime as it sets the right tone and ambience to be productive. If you are in an individual consulting role, the recommendation is to rent a small office or co-working space near the home (to avoid commute time).
Oct 3, 2017
In our industry and Company (Agicent App company), we've a work for home option for employees (ideally for unavoidable situations) and I figured out, it only works when there is a small chunk of work that can be done in isolation (like testing, documentation, solving one off complex problem etc) but for any other regular tasks it is much productive to come to office and work in close coordination with the team (in our case the team is app developer, designer, tester, supervisor etc).
Working from remotely and working from home in isolation are two different things, and both may work just fine for jobs like writing, designing, small coding tasks and not for team works.
In a different scenario, I personally found myself more productive during wee hours and that is when I write proposals, talk to clients (when I'm in India, talking to customer sitting in the US), write app dev specs and these are again mostly isolated tasks, for all other works (project management, hiring, accounts, general management, team meetings, design instructions, getting things done etc) I still prefer being in office.
I'd love to hear experience from other industries/ companies.
Oct 3, 2017
It depends on the nature of the work we do. If the job is web based job, with minimum client interaction, then working form home can be an excellent choice. The major requirements of working from home are-
A dedicated office space within the house
Internet and phone connection
Self Discipline
Full time help
If job requires meeting lots of people personally, then working from home is not advisable as sometime it becomes uncomfortable for others.
For me it depends on the ability to avoid distractions - family, kids, dog, etc,. As a independent consultant I make it my business to attend business networking meetings at three times a week. It seems like a lot but I make sure the driving distance is reasonable, the group is aligned to my business needs, meet my clients on a semi-professional level and meet new potential clients. During these "outings" my laptop and cell phone are handy.
If I am meeting an existing client it may not be imperative to meet at your outside office as the first impression has already been made. For a potential new client I may ask to meet at a business library or a virtual office for appearances sake.