Pros and Cons of Working from Home

During the past 4 weeks, the coronavirus known as COVID-19, first discovered in China in December 2019, has dominated news stories around the world. Although I only fairly recently started paying attention to the news on more than an approximately monthly basis, as I learned more about the response to the outbreak, it seemed to me that in our lifetime we had never before experienced such dramatic changes to everyday life, in order to prevent the spread of a disease. This was confirmed by my sister in a text message and by several news authorities who have deemed the impact “unprecedented.”

In an effort to protect my coworkers and me, my employer has mandated that all nonessential employees work from home. Working for a data center provider, this means that anyone who is not required to be onsite to maintain data center operations (e.g. Security, Critical Facility Operations and the Network Operations Center) must remain at home while performing business related tasks. Originally the work-from-home period was to be in effect from March 16 to March 27, 2020, but in consideration of the progression of the virus in the last week, it was extended through April 10.

Since a similar directive affects so many more than ever before, I decided I should offer my thoughts on the pros and cons of working from home.

Pros

Thinking about the pros and cons before starting to compose this post, more benefits of working from home occur to me than drawbacks. But I suppose we’ll see the resulting balance as I go.

Comfort

I read somewhere a while back that it’s good to get dressed for work even while working at home where no one else can see you, due to the psychological aspect of feeling professional and prepared for work by looking professional. Keeping that in mind, I normally do get dressed as if I were going to work – with the exception of putting socks and shoes on, because I always prefer to have my feet free.

So when I say comfort, I am referring to the ability to sit whenever I wish, wherever I wish and however I wish. To some degree I have this freedom in the office as well, for which I am very fortunate and grateful, but I try to limit how much I take advantage of that freedom so as not to distract my coworkers.

At home I can pace the entryway and the kitchen while carrying my laptop so I can be up and about while still getting work done, especially during conference calls. I can have a seat in my normal “home office” location at the main dining room table, or move to the bar area of my kitchen island, the couch, the glider in the nursery upstairs, the bed, or anywhere else I feel like taking the laptop when I want a change of scenery of sorts.

I can also assume various positions as desired, whether this means sitting normally or choosing any of the following, not so normal for most, ways of working. My closest coworkers undoubtedly have noticed, wordlessly (thank you), that I like to sit with my legs folded inward such that my feet are tucked between my thighs and my calves. For whatever reason this simply is more comfortable to me than sitting with my feet flat on the floor. I also sometimes like to sit back and relax with my feet up on the desk or table and have my laptop sit on my legs while I work. (Truth be told, I have done this in the office too, in the private “drop-in” offices we used to have for low-attendance conference calls or employees visiting from one of our other locations.) Other times I decide I want to lay down with my laptop in front of me or next to me on the couch or on the bed, but in the quiet this often poses a risk of dozing off, so I usually sit up again in short order.

Convenience

Working from home makes for a minimal commute time, only the time it takes to walk from the bedroom to the “office,” which for me is 15-20 seconds. The distance to the office building from my house is only slightly more than a mile, so aside from the time it takes to drop off my son at day care my commute time was already very short (sometimes I bike there and even that only takes about 8 minutes), but not having to leave the house at all for work is very convenient.

Privacy

In the office building, I, like most office workers, have a cubicle workstation in an open office floor plan. It sometimes makes me feel very self-conscious when I’m working on something and someone walks past me. Probably they aren’t looking over my shoulder at my work, but it’s nonetheless distracting when I’m not already laser-focused on the task at hand. (It’s worth noting that when I first started typing “looking” it came out “looming”, which adequately describes how it can feel at those times.) By contrast, at home, no other human is present – at least no one who would pass any judgments on my work.

Focus

With no one else around, there are fewer possible interruptions and distractions. In my office I sit next to two conference rooms, so people often stand near my workstation and chat outside the rooms. It’s not usually a problem for me, but it can be distracting, especially if I’m “between tasks,” trying to work up to high focus on the next task. What definitely is distracting, though, is when someone walks up to my desk to ask me about a certain task or project. Normally I am perfectly happy to help whenever I’m asked, despite it taking me away from whatever I had been working on, but at home I am relatively free from such distractions.

Time Saver / Ability to Multitask

Working from home saves me a decent amount of time in my morning routine. I’m able to start my work day a lot earlier because I don’t have to pack everything I need to take with me – it’ll be only steps away when I need it.

Also, especially during conference calls, I’m able to take care of various personal tasks as desired. I can listen to the discussion, contribute hands free as appropriate and pick things up off the floor, open my mail, cut fruit to eat later, do exercises such as lunges or lifting weights – whatever personal work I feel like doing in that moment as I participate in the company meeting at the same time.

More Relaxing Lunch Break

I don’t normally take a full lunch break because I take short breaks every hour throughout the day. However, when I do, it’s wonderful to be at home already because it’s so much more relaxing than spending lunchtime at the office or at a restaurant with my coworkers. The full time can be enjoyed in solitary refreshment prior to tackling the rest of the work day, and I don’t have to leave that state of comfort when I resume my work.

Cons

Not very many disadvantages come to my mind when considering working from home, but these are the ones I have experienced.

Young Children Demanding Attention

My son is not quite 3 years old, so on the business days I have to keep him at home, it can be challenging to focus on my work. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, this happened whenever he got sick and couldn’t go to the day care center. It is a blessing to be able to work from home while taking care of him until he recovers, but when I’m home alone with him it’s not uncommon for my overall productivity during the day to be reduced significantly.

Now, because of the ongoing crisis, the day care center is closed until the week of April 6. As a result, both my husband and I have been working from home for the last couple of weeks and are experiencing the stress of trying to remain productive while keeping our son entertained and happy at the same time. It is much easier being able to take turns addressing his requests, but it’s still not very easy.

Diminished Camaraderie with Coworkers

Many of my coworkers are also my friends, and I enjoy seeing them every day in the office. While working from home, I no longer have direct contact with them, which causes a disconnect in communication and camaraderie. Yes, we can always stay in touch by phone or email, instant messaging or social media, but certain elements of the in-person relationship cannot be replaced by technology. It seems to me that virtual contact can be likened to mere pixels, while meeting in person is a bigger picture, a panorama. It’s good to take an extended break from the office for sanity’s sake, and to maintain a healthy work-life balance, but it’s also nice to be in the same room with them again upon return.

Cats in the Way

My husband and I have five cats. Two of them frequently jump up onto the table and block the computer monitor, step on the keyboard, stand on my lap and meow for food or attention. I love them, of course, but they really can be quite distracting, even when laying on my lap, because their claws start digging into my knees when I pet them. The verbal exchange below comically depicts my experience on one of our first days working from home together.

Me: “*Sigh* Look at all the cat hair on my legs.”
My husband: “All in a day’s work… from home.”