Employees
Can I work from home?
Many people want the opportunity to work from home. It might mean they eliminate a long commute, don’t have to get dressed up each morning, or can save money by eating at home without packing a lunch. With the world bracing for the full impact of COVID-19, many employees are getting the opportunity to work from home. The CDC has recommended that employers start offering work from home options for people that have recently had a fever to prevent disease transmission. In some parts of the world, working from is going to be a requirement.
Some people thrive under these conditions, other people do not. The list below highlights some of the challenges associated with telework. If you are required to work from home you will need to learn to address these issues, at least in the short-term. In the long run you may decide that remote work is not a beneficial option and you want to return to the office. Jessica Bartow from AgCareers.com put together a list of things to think about before you start working remotely.
- The social dynamic. Do you work well alone or do you thrive when you are surrounded by others? Do you enjoy chatting about sports with coworkers when you refill for coffee? Do you solve problems by bouncing them off your coworkers? Do you like your job better when you have a personal relationship with the people you work with?
- Distractions. Will you get distracted working from home? Some people will get a load of laundry done while they do their work. That might be efficient, but will a messy house call you to clean it instead of doing your work? Are there other people or animals at home that will need your attention? How will you explain to them that you are home, but not available? Most people have learned to manage distractions at work, can you manage them at home as well?
- Space/equipment. Do you have the space in your home to work remotely? Can your job be done remotely, or do you need special equipment? If you need something special to make the at-home office work, will you pay for it or will your employer?
- Increased bills. If you are working from home the cost of your utilities will increase. If no one was home before, your air conditioning or heating bills were lower when people were out of the house during the day. If your internet connection was not fast enough, you might have to upgrade or changes services. If you live far from the office, there might be extra bills associated with going in from time-to-time.
- Productivity. How much discipline do you have? Will your level of productivity be the same at home as it is when your boss is around? Will you watch movies all day if no one is walking around that might notice? If you need accountability from other people how will you get that at home?
- Other company benefits. There are perks to work from home, but you also miss out on things. Some offices celebrate birthdays with cake or have a biweekly game night. If you telework you might miss out on these experiences. Do you care?