Work From Home

Pros

Improved Productivity Through Reduced Context Switching – The main argument for WFH always relates to increased productivity. I hear many people say it but for the most part I am probably as productive at home as I as in the office, mainly because I was incredibly productive in the office. I use organization, timeboxing, the Pomodoro technique, and other skills to get my work done both on site and off. In the office I was always under the gun to get finished so I could leave on time because of the nature of the commute. I had deadlines to hit that couldn’t be missed so I had a pretty solid structure to work within. Perhaps that unique setup is why the transition was easier for me. One thing I have noticed is the reduced context switching. I am able to work on tasks for longer periods of time to more things done better. I believe the lack of visual stimulation does reduce the context switching tremendously. In the office someone walking around to go to the printer or kitchen, or just stretch their legs, could pull my eyes from my work. It’s completely unavoidable. The noise in offices never really bothered me, it was mostly white noise in the background I could tune out, but the visual stuff would get me every time. At home there is none of that because it is just me.
Perfect Attendance And Timeliness – One of the keys to level loading your work is to start work on time and miss as few days as possible. For the most part I rarely missed work while in the office. The only times I did was when a child was sick and not allowed to attend school because of a fever, but in those cases I was allowed to bring my laptop home and work. I often came into work sick and just powered through it. You just get used to it, especially if you have young children. If you called in sick every time they brought something home from daycare/school you’d never go to work. There were a few times I would be in the office and realize I had a fever and spent quite a few days working through a stomach bug on the office toilet. Obviously this isn’t an issue when working from home. You have a restroom available at all times if you have something gastro related. A really bad cold can be endured if you can take a nap at lunchtime to get some rest. In fact, in these past four years I’ve not missed a single day of work.
Time Savings And Cost Savings – This is the largest advantage here. Smaller employers, especially not-for-profits, can use this as an enticement (as most do now) to win over good employees. The time savings is astronomical. Working in the office five days a week led us to be severely time starved as a family. Those whose spouse also work really struggle the most, especially trying to balance getting/picking up kids to their activities. There were also times when long commutes from a traffic jam would eat up way too much time in the day to the point you couldn’t recover from it. Now, I can choose to work during that time and stay on top of things. For cost savings, we did save quite a bit of money when transitioning to the office. It’s definitely saved loads on wear and tear of vehicle, eating out at lunch, or buying office clothes. We never kept my youngest son home from daycare though, which really would’ve saved us money. I never felt I could care for him and work, and I feared losing his spot at the daycare if I needed to go back into an office (daycares seem like they’ve not really recovered yet).
Dream Office – I have the best office I’ve had in my career. I have a private working space with a multiple monitor setup (four and counting)! I have access to a private bathroom, private refrigerator, and private kitchen. I run a blender every day to get my fruits and vegetables in. Although I don’t have pets, everyday technically could be bring your pets to work day. I have a premium chair, premium keyboard and mouse, and premium camera/headset. Anyone who’s gone into an office with their dingy low resolution monitors, had to sit on a warm toilet seat, had their lunches eaten by someone else, or only had access to a poorly stocked breakroom know the simple joys of what it means to work in home in this context.
Personal Development – rarely had time to exercise or get involved. Scouted, coached, went to PE with Person.

Cons

Competing against larger talent pools for roles
Relationship building is difficult, especially across verticals
Not for everyone – some lack discipline, struggle with autonomy
No More Compartmentalization
Gossip Means More Surprises

How To Make It Work