The ongoing COVID-19 has, once again, emphasized the importance of remote working or working from home. Others say it is telecommuting which is the use of the internet, VOIP software, Google docs, etc. Remote working is a blessing for workers and employers who are coping with the onslaught of a pandemic. If you’re working for an industry or organisation that will offer possibilities of work from home, you can learn from this list.

Pros

Savings for the employers

This is the most visible benefit of allowing employees to work from home. You‘ll save hundreds to thousands of money and time without the need to pay office space rental (the highest expense), electricity, water and internet bill. Your employees are all working remotely and so they are the ones who will be shouldering the monthly utilities. Such savings could be diverted to research and development, marketing and buying new equipment.

Savings for the employees

Employees can save from working remotely. If you’re working at the office, you’ll reap the following benefits:

• Zero transportation costs - From bed to bed.

• Savings from expensive lunch and dining at restaurants and fast food. At home, you can just cook an inexpensive meal with cheap ingredients.

Freedom from stress

Remote working brings the following benefits:

• Less stress because you don’t need to wake up early, wait at the bus stop, stand with commuting crowds and worry about getting late.

• Less stress because you don’t need to walk far away to reach the office.

• Less stress because you don’t have the pressure of being watched.

• Less stress because you don’t have to deal with rush hours (7 am, 5 pm).

• Less stress because you don’t have to deal with office distractions.

Mutual benefits for both parties 

One of the best blessings of working from home is that it benefits the employees and employers. Mutual benefits result in more morale, better performance (team and management) products and services.

Flexible schedule

Working from home equals flexible scheds. Even if your company requires you to work a fixed schedule and day off, you'll find that you can work beyond the working hours. When you work at an office or in-house, it’s more difficult to work overtime as you’ll always worry about going home late and being left behind by public transports.

Avoid office distractions and stressors

The office is a centre point of unpredictable distractions such as chatting co-worker, customers calling an admin, demanding boss, blaring sirens outdoors, fire drills, and accidents.

Reduced to zero risks of contracting COVID-19

One of the reasons why companies allowed their staff to work from home is the ongoing COVID-19. It seems that the pandemic will stay longer - maybe 2 years or more. The need for social distancing and avoidance of staying longer in space to avoid inhaling virus makes working remotely an absolute necessity.  Work from home negates the risks of COVID-19 associated with public transports, dining at restaurants and handling money.

Reduced boredom

Setting at the office chair in front of a desktop or laptop computer and dealing with restroom restrictions can raise the boredom level. Just imagine if this routine never changes for an entire year. At home, you’ll have flexible work and ease your nature’s calling when the time comes.

Customised working environment

At the office, you don’t have the freedom to choose the space, the type of chair and table, window location, wall colour and decors. At your home, you’re the king and you always have the decision. You can turn a wall into a mural of cats or polka dots, decorate your mini-office with cactus and potted plants.

Reduced risks of inhaling pollutants

Since you’re indoors, the risk of you inhaling smoke from cars, factories, trucks and jeepneys is zero. Remember that these vehicle fumes contain myriads of chemicals that could impair your lungs in the long run. Think about the following chemicals:

• Benzene (a carcinogen)
• Carbon monoxide
• Formaldehyde
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Nitrous oxide
• Sulphur dioxide
• Polycyclic hydrocarbons
• Suspended particles (particles with a size less than 10 microns)

More time with loved ones

Remote working allows more time with loved ones - parents, siblings, spouse, kids and grandparents. Another is if you have a baby that is best cared by a biological parent. You can’t just entrust your baby to anyone. If you’re working at home, you have more time to safeguard your baby and attend to his or her needs. If you’re married and both working at home or even one of you is working remotely, it’s still manageable to care for your child.

Cons

Working at home isn’t devoid of cons. It’s still not perfect.

At mercy of power and internet outages

A glaring con of working from home is that you’re at the mercy of power and internet outages. These two essentials are beyond your control except your capacity to pay (which is, of course, you can) as long as you have a livelihood. If you live in the Philippines, a country always visited by storms, you have to brace yourself for fallen power lines and cables that can always cut off electricity and the internet. Depending on the technical team of both utilities, you’ll have to wait for repairs which can take a day or a week).

Willpower can be affected

Willpower is the ability to delay gratification, impulses and short-term temptations that can be watching a movie marathon or video streaming over studying to become better at web development. Finishing a study is for the long-term goal - for better job prospects and career. In remote working, you’ll face myriads of temptations to procrastinate such as message notifications from your Facebook, an urge to watch your favourite channel or surf the internet. All these things may result in delayed submissions and/or loss of concentration.

Your question may wait for an answer

Even though the other side is online, you don’t know if they are immediately available unless you and the other side are video calling. This happens if the first or second party is chatting with someone, being too busy to reply or having a very slow computer.

Less socialisation

The most obvious downside is less social interaction. Not all remote jobs involve video calling or constant real-time connection. Some only connect a few minutes or an hour and after that, they just send and expect the deliverables through project management tools. At the office, everyone can party, celebrate birthdays and attend after-work happy hours. When you work from home, you can be alone or be with your relative.