This post will guide you through telecommuting pros and cons through the lens of remote employees and my own experience of working from home for over 3 years. Here you will read about things to consider before making this life-changing decision.
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While working from home is not a new concept, in recent years, it has become more common in many workplaces. The pandemic forced many business owners to figure out how to make working from home feasible. However, after managing it for over a year, it was difficult to tell remote workers to change out of their pajamas and make the morning trip to the office. In short, things changed.
Since transitioning from the corporate office to working remote in March of 2020, I’ve worked remotely for three different U.S. companies and I wouldn’t have it any other way. For me, the benefits of telecommuting far outweigh the disadvantages.
However, each individual has their unique perspective and career goals. Because of this, I’ve put together the following list of telecommuting pros and cons to help you make your own informed decisions.
Quick Recap | Telecommuting Pros and Cons
Advantages of Telecommuting:
- Flexibility and Better Work-Life Balance
- Cost Savings
- No Pressure to Attend Happy Hours
- Higher Productivity
- Comfier Chair
- Fewer Distractions
- Family
- Ability to Complete Household Chores
Disadvantages of Telecommuting:
- Isolation and Lack of Social Interaction
- Potential for Distractions
- Difficulty in Establishing Boundaries
- Technological Dependencies
- Team Collaboration and Communication
- Career Progression
What is Telecommuting?
Telecommuting or remote work is a work arrangement where team members can perform their job responsibilities from a location outside the traditional office environment like a coffee shop or the comfort of their homes.
Instead of commuting to a physical workplace, telecommuters use technology such as computers, the internet, video conferencing, and other communication tools to carry out their tasks from home or another remote location. These flexible work arrangements provide individuals with the ability to balance work and personal life while maintaining a stable paycheck.
Telecommuting Pros:
1. Flexibility and Better Work-Life Balance
While this may vary from company to company, since moving to a work-from-home format, I’ve experienced more flexibility in completing my work. Long-term projects allow me to choose when to work on them.
For instance, if my work schedule allows, I may give less energy to work-related tasks during regular work hours, but commit to logging in at 8 PM to catch up. Unlike the office, where I felt the need to appear busy, working from home focuses on results.
2. Cost Savings
Switching to remote work has allowed me to save so much money by simply cutting out transportation costs and no longer needing an extensive professional wardrobe.
On gas alone, I am saving $26 weekly, totaling $1,347 annually. (This is based on $3.49 for unleaded gasoline, a 35 mpg car, and a 26-mile one-way daily commute)
Beyond the dollars spent, you also have to consider the uncompensated 1-2 hours spent commuting. While no one magically adds $10k to your paycheck when you switch to working from home, it’s the unacknowledged return of your time that becomes an additional bonus.
If you’re thinking about switching, use this simple calculator to calculate your potential fuel savings.
3. No Pressure to Attend Happy Hours
For introverts, declining after-work social events has never been easier. I often felt the pressure to attend happy hours because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be a team player, I was missing out on networking opportunities, or wasn’t bonding with my boss.
But honestly, after a long day of work, I just wanted to go home and relax and those types of get-togethers exhausted me. Now, it is much easier to just decline a calendar invite.
4. Higher Productivity
Unless you work in a work environment with high productivity levels where you are flooded with emails and constantly putting out every so-called “corporate fire,” there are times you may find yourself scrolling through your email or social media to fill time and check off another 8-hour day.
“How is it possible that all the people in the world need exactly 8 hours to accomplish their work? It isn’t. 9–5 is arbitrary.”
tim ferriss
The quote above is from the book “The 4-Hour Workweek,” and it got me thinking not only about productivity in the workplace but also about my productivity overall.
I’ve had jobs with overwhelming workloads and insufficient time to complete my responsibilities which left me working lots of overtime. Eventually, I left those jobs to look for opportunities that offered a greater work-life balance.
When I moved on to new jobs, I realized that they didn’t take up my entire day. This made me see another opportunity—I could pursue an additional activity on a part-time basis. The faster I could finish my main job, the sooner I could start my “part-time job.” This approach has boosted my productivity because I set shorter deadlines for my primary job tasks, giving me more time for other things.
RELATED POST: The Ultimate Guide To Successfully Escape The 9-5 Trap
This is another quote I appreciate from the book “The 4-Hour Workweek.”
“Parkinson’s Law dictates that a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion. It is the magic of the imminent deadline. If I give you 24 hours to complete a project, the time pressure forces you to focus on execution, and you have no choice but to do only the bare essentials.”
tim ferriss
Because I value the time I have for myself and my family at home, I set very short and clear deadlines for my work tasks. This allows me to reclaim more of my life. This motivation wasn’t present when I worked from the office because, even if I finished my work by 3 in less time, I still couldn’t go home.
5. Comfier Chair
This one is silly at first glance but very real. At home, the world is your oyster. You pick your chair, you pick your office, and you set the temperature on the thermostat.
6. Fewer Distractions
Beyond the idea of increased productivity, the fact you are at home eliminates any noises like phones ringing, external conversations that your brain wants to listen to instead of concentrating on the work in front of you and even fewer people just randomly “popping” into your cubicle to say hello.
7. Family Time
For remote workers with children, the ability to pick kids up from school or walk with them to the bus stop is a significant advantage. I’m sure that as a parent, you cannot put a price tag on being able to spend this extra free time with your kids.
8. Ability to Complete Household Chores
Ever got an all-team meeting or a town hall put on your calendar that is a recommended attendance but also feels like time wasted because you can’t concentrate on working on anything else? This has become my dedicated take dishes out of the dishwasher or mop the kitchen floor time.
Telecommuting Cons:
1. Isolation and Lack of Social Interaction
For those who rely on their workplace as a source of social connection, remote work unfortunately removes the organic in-person moments and may lead to feelings of isolation.
This may mean you’ll have to be intentional about seeking out social interactions via Zoom to nurture the connections you had in the office. For new employees, they’ll have to create those new connections virtually, which may not always be easy.
2. Potential for Distractions
Everyone’s home setting is different. You may live in a small space that is shared with others which makes it harder to do your job if you don’t have your own office to work in. Consider whether your home is a good space for this.
3. Difficulty in Establishing Boundaries
This might still be a work in progress for all of us, even me who has been working from home for over 3 years. However, I am getting better at drawing the line between where work ends, and personal life begins. With your “work” being at home, it might be difficult for some to step away and take their minds off of work assignments.
I struggled with this at first as my home office was in the same room I slept in every night. Creating the separation between work and life may be easier when you create a distinct work area that you close the door on once 5 o’clock hits.
4. Technological Dependencies
A reliable internet connection is key in making remote work feasable. Ideally, you’d have a direct ethernet connection to your computer to eliminate any unstable internet during video calls.
5. Team Collaboration and Communication
Despite the technological advancements in the work-from-home environment, there’s still a challenge in replicating the collaboration and instant communication that happens in a traditional office setting among team members.
Due to this, remote work can sometimes lead to delays in response times and affect the easy exchange of ideas that typically occurs in face-to-face interactions. However, asking more questions and having regular check-ins can help avoid any miscommunications and project delays.
6. Career Progression
This point may bring an interesting perspective that might stir some debate.
Depending on where you work, your career progression might, in part, depend on who you know. If you’re new to the company, it could be tough to meet the right people by chance, like in the elevator or during lunch. By working from home, you miss out on the face to face interactions. So unless you are intentional about making connections with the right people, you might potentially not be considered for the next promotion.
While remote work has its perks, it’s important to actively make virtual connections, show what you can do, and make sure your hard work gets noticed, especially when you don’t have those typical office moments.
Final Thoughts on Telecommuting Pros and Cons
To sum it all up, transitioning from a traditional office to remote work has been a transformative experience for me, with the pros of telecommuting clearly outweighing the cons. I hope this post helped you explore the telecommuting pros and cons, providing insights into the flexibility, cost savings, and enhanced productivity that come with working from home.
From comfy chairs to family time, the benefits are vast, but there are also some challenges such as isolation and difficulty establishing boundaries. As you make your decision, make sure to consider your unique perspective and career goals.
As always, don’t be a stranger! Share your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated. Bye for now!
In this post, you read all about telecommuting pros and cons which you should consider before making the switch.
