The Pros and Cons of Still Working From Home

The Covid-19 pandemic inspired a whole range of changes to our personal and professional lives. Among the most significant was the widespread adoption of working from home practices. Throughout the pandemic, millions of workers in Britain and elsewhere were given the opportunity to do their jobs from home – and the practice looks set to be with us for a long time yet to come.

But while working from home might present many considerable advantages, there are also plenty of drawbacks to think about. Let’s look at how these might be anticipated and managed and if you still consider remote work, here you may find work from home jobs in Saskatchewan.

Lack of work-life balance

Having a clear boundary between your work and leisure time can be tremendously beneficial. It’ll help you to more fully concentrate during work hours, and to more fully relax outside of them. This in turn leads to benefits in concentration and productivity.

Many home workers end up working in less-than ideal conditions. They might not have a space dedicated to work and productivity, which inevitably leads to personal commitments intruding into work life. You might begin to work longer hours, or doing your work during mealtimes.

To get around this, home workers might set fixed boundaries for themselves. They might pledge not to work, or to even use the computer on which work is done, after a certain time of day. They might go for a walk at a certain time of day in order to recharge, and reward themselves for focus and commitment.

According to statistics from a prominent online legal firm National Accident Helpline specialising in personal injury, more than a third of home workers are working from their living rooms, while around one in five are working from their bedroom. Just a fifth have a dedicated office space. Given that the home working phenomenon is likely to persist, we may see office space increasingly prized by would-be homebuyers. As such, developing a dedicated office space might add to the value of your home.

Safety Concerns

If your working environment isn’t set up with ergonomics in mind, then you might put yourself at risk of a personal injury. Investment in a high quality chair is a must for home office workers. You might also exercise proactively to avoid injury.

According to polling from the same legal firm, back pain is suffered by more than a quarter of home workers, with eye strain, neck pain and repetitive strain injury coming in just behind.

Loneliness and Mental Health

If you’re working from home, then you might find that you can go for long stretches without seeing or interacting with another human being. Clearly, the social component of a fixed workplace is valuable, too. The best way to get around this is to arrange social gatherings outside of work, and to attend them even when you don’t much feel like it. This will help you to avoid social withdrawal, and safeguard your mental wellbeing.