CHALLENGES OF WORKING FROM HOME

Is work from home (WFH) really possible in the long run?

Across the world, the pandemic crisis has greatly forced all to work from home to keep surviving amid lockdowns. A survey even reveals that the majority of workers in Malaysia are comfortable with working remotely. Despite the debate on work from home vs. work from office, it appears that re-entering the office is not for everyone.

However, there is no one shoe size that fits all. Of course, work from home is highly beneficial as it provides flexibility to employees and people no longer need to commute in the morning. It is the dream work policy that has become a reality for most these days. 

But like everything else, work from home also has its counterproductive challenges, something that not everyone talks about. Before businesses completely convert to remote working, it is worth considering its challenges and disadvantages to work productivity.

Distractions from home, less work productivity.

It is much easier to get distracted when working at home, unlike at the office. Working from home would require the setup of a sturdy workstation. This would need unlimited, fast Wifi, a wide desk, ultra-ergonomic chair, virtual Cloud storage as well as physical cabinets to access your work files. However, not all homes are already equipped with a complete workstation which may be very bad for posture and health. Even if there is a complete desk and chair, it is easier to give in to distractions such as pets, kids, electric power cuts. Furthermore, unreliable and slow Wifi would affect Skype and Zoom calls which would leave work unfinished. Not all homes could afford consistent and steady internet coverage to make work from home completely possible. 

Harder to stay motivated at home.

Working remotely at home means your colleagues will not be there with you. Without them sitting near you to hold yourself up and accountable, it is harder for you to stay productive at home. The good thing about a traditional office is employees are forced and accustomed to follow a strict schedule in place. But at home, it is harder to stick strictly to a schedule as it’s no longer needed to wake up early for commuting to keep up with strict office hours, break and lunchtime. At home, your bed becomes a new office desk which blurs the line between a place to work and a place to rest. As a result, it will be harder to sleep at night thus changing your body clock abruptly and affecting your health in the long run.

Remote work can get pretty lonely.

Working in isolation can get very lonely. At home, you are away from your colleagues. You can’t squeeze in a good laugh in between work with coworkers in the next room. Remote-work can’t replace the social energy created at a physical office. Although professionals embrace flexibility in remote-work, they know that being near others boosts their motivation and productivity. A research even suggested that remote workers, after some time, need physical closeness from being around others. Hence, it’s good to go to a coworking space once or twice a week. It is where you can have a mix of social life and start speaking to people in real life again while staying motivated in a work environment.

Collaborating and communication becomes more difficult.

Communication with colleagues via Whatsapp or e-mail may not always be productive due to the fear of misinterpretation. It’s much easier at a work setting to directly get the message and reaction from your colleague and appreciate emotions involved. However, this is not the same for remote working. If your coworker is unresponsive to your messages, it may create some unnecessary doubts on your mind that he is not doing his job. Sometimes, we may even find ourselves worrying if sending a simple message with a laughing Emoji will sound offensive to your coworker. Miscommunication that could arise from digital messaging may affect collaborative and team-building spirit as a whole.

We believe no one size fits us all. If you’re looking for a co-working space to add some social human interaction back to your life, look no further. At NOVUX, we are ready to offer the ideal workplace for you where you can achieve a good balance between working from home and the office. Sign up with us today.

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