The Pros and Cons of Working From Home Remote workers unite!

My Companion and I both work from home. I am an author, my Companion is a knowledge worker. There are a lot of misconceptions about working from home and this seemed like a good time to go over the up- and down-sides.

Yes, we've both worked in offices and we both prefer our current situations. I'll provide information from both of our perspectives on the negative and positive aspects. It helps that one of us sets our own hours and the other has a standard IT Industry career as that gives us insight into multiple aspects.

Pro: We live in comfortable clothes.

This doesn't seem like it should be a big deal, but it is. People spend a lot of money every year on work appropriate garments. The clothes qualify as a tax write-off in the States if people are inclined to itemize.

We have a ridiculous amount of business casual clothes. The master closet was over-flowing with khakis and polo shirts. Now that we've worked from home for two years, we've been able to donate those so future knowledge workers will have options.

These days, we hang out in comfy shorts or pajama/lounge pants. My budget for pajamas is higher than shoes because good jammies make all the difference.

They have to be appropriate for dog walking in the neighborhood, but not feel like real pants. It's a delicate balance.

Formal wear

I jokingly send out memes about changing from my daytime pajamas into nighttime ones. They're not actually jokes. We do this.

This also makes laundry happen less often, and with less decision making.

"It says to dry clean only, but it should be okay in the wash, right?"

"Ack! Where are my black pants? Wrinkled in the dryer? Awesome!"

Con: We live in comfortable clothes.

It's to the point where, when we have a less casual event, we have a hard time choosing clothing.

On my last trip to Michigan, I packed like I was going to be here at home. I had to run out and buy new things to wear to a lunch date with friends. It wasn't embarrassing, but, as an adult, I feel like I should have garments under control.

Something similar happened to my Companion on a Christmas trip. So, there's that.

It does feel weird when someone from Maintenance stops by, or the UPS guy hits the bell, at 3 pm and we both look like we just crawled out of bed. Usually with hair sticking straight up, unless I jam it under a hat to flatten it. I often forget.

When I go to grab the mail I know the office lady is jealous of my work uniform. Because she tells me. Every day.

Pro: There is no commute.

Who needs this?

At the moment, we're in a "luxury" two bedroom apartment. The second bedroom is used as a home office, with three computers set up (at a minimum).

I generally work in the living room. I have a station so my commute is literally 10 steps from the bed. There are times when I want or need more monitors for research or editing, in which case I go the extra steps to the office.

That's where I usually find my Companion with conference calls and emails flowing.

The nice part of the home office is not having to wake up and get ready to be somewhere. My longest commute was 45 minutes. My Companion's about the same.

That's a whole lot of time each day that can be dedicated toward something else. Whether it's a healthier, home cooked dinner, or a longer walk with a pudgy pooch.

We can go to bed later, and sleep in later, and not be late. If my Companion does oversleep, it takes 30 seconds to get to work, instead of 30 minutes.

Con: There is no commute.

The commute to work is a great time to run over tasks yet to be done for the day. The ride home is great for decompressing from a stressful day.

The commute home is also a good time to hit the grocery store, pick up dry cleaning, whatever.

When you work from home, that becomes an ordeal. The hours aren't 9-5 so those trips have to be wedged in somewhere.

As a writer, when I'm on a roll, if I have to stop because the store is closing, I may lose the flow for days.

On my Companion's side, he constantly has conference calls and those can run into the evening. Not to mention the emergency calls from clients.

He can't decompress from his day in 10 minutes, much less the ten steps it takes to get from the home office to the couch.

Pro: You're always home.

Is the cable person coming? Repairperson for something? Great, you're already home. That doesn't mean you aren't on a call or busy with something when they arrive, but at least you can open the door and pretend to pay attention.

Laundry, dishes, the usual cleaning deals, are easy to slide into breaks taken in the day. Have a package coming that needs a signature? Child's play.

Con: You're always home.

Your walls don't change. Not unless you paint them. That means there's no change of scenery. It can feel like prison, especially when you're tethered to a phone.

By Friday I start to feel like Andy Dufresne

Twelve hours locked in a cubicle feels the same way as a home office. However, when you leave the cubicle, it actually looks different. You open a door, go outside, see people.

Twelve hours working in a home office is a recipe for cabin fever. The same four walls are replaced by the same four walls you see in your living room.

We tend to get antsy on certain days, and pace around like caged animals.

Pro: You can flex your self-discipline.

In my case, I set my required work hours. I can easily blow off working for the day if something that sounds interesting is offered.

The only person that can tell me where to be, when, is me. Sure, my project manager can make suggestions, but I am the Final Say, the Last Word.

My Companion works for a European Company. They're quite kind with flexible days off and personal time. They get that a person may need a few hours to themselves in the morning after working fourteen hours the day before.

Con: You can flex your self-discipline.

It's a bitch to work when someone is doing something right next to you. Especially if that something is fun. Work offers flex time and your spouse is playing Diablo III while running hypotheticals in her uber creative brain? Why not take a couple of hours...

Diablo III is a current favorite

You have a bad headache. If you were at an office, you'd pop Tylenol and go back to work, as best you can. When your bed is, literally, 25 steps away, then that scenario has a completely different outcome.

Pro: Your friends don't know what you do all day.

That's just a pro in general. They think you slack off all day and have time for hobbies they can only dream of.

Con: Your friends don't know what you do all day.

They think you have time to answer every text or email the moment it's sent. Some will drop by randomly to hang out. Some will let their passive aggressive behavior demonstrate their jealousy... but that's a post all its own for another time.

Remote workers - have anything you'd like to add? Feel free to post in comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Created with images by StartupStockPhotos - "children win success" • quinntheislander - "traffic rush hour rush" • fran1 - "plumber handyman repair" • MarkDoliner - "Alcatraz cell" • foeock - "WORLD OF WARCRAFTS & DIABLO III ARTS"

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