Working from home can seem like the silver bullet for many parents, particularly those keen to get back into work after a career break spent at home with children. The idea of a work/life balance that allows you to take time out for the school run but still allows you to do your job can feel almost too good to be true.
While there is an increasing number of remote working options available in today’s working environment, the working from home lifestyle isn’t for everyone. In this short article we take a look at the pros and cons of remote working and what to expect if you do decide to go down this path.
The Pros
Quite simply you’re in charge of managing your own workload. As long as you get it done it doesn’t make too much difference when and how. This is true if you’re remote working for a company or going freelance.
If you’re an early bird who’s at their best first thing in the morning, you might get up an hour before the rest of your household to get a jump on the day and a start on that project. Night owls may prefer a leisurely start to the day, dropping the kids off at school and refueling with a coffee before sitting down at their desk.
That freedom is liberating both physically and mentally. Knowing you can juggle family commitments around your schedule makes for an easier time of it and a less stressed parent.
You’ll save money too. That commute to work won’t happen, saving wear and tear, petrol and your time often spent stuck in traffic. Or the cost of an annual train ticket, which seems to increase quicker than your salary. This has a knock-on effect to the environment and you can feel good knowing you’re cutting your emissions.
The Cons
How are you with boundaries? When it comes to shutting off your computer at the end of the day, will you be able to step away and stop replying to those late emails? This is particularly hard if you run your own business. You’ve worked hard to establish yourself as the number one provider of Software For Training Companies, you want to keep that reputation and that means staying on top of your game.
But burn out, fatigue and stress will not help you to achieve that, so being self-disciplined and realistic in what you can achieve each day is a crucial component.
When your home becomes your office, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between the two and the lines do very often become blurred. You may also feel isolated, working by yourself with little communication from the outside world and no office buzz to entertain and distract you.
In many ways working from home is the answer to a lot of the difficult questions that having a family and a career throws up, but it needs to be managed carefully so you get the best of both worlds and not the worst elements.
