Working from Home - Pro or Con?

JupiterKid

What do AHers think of working form home? I myself work from home three days a week and I find that I am more productive at home than in work. Less distractions for one thing and my own home office to cloister myself in.:)

Others don't like home working as they enjoy the social aspect of a shared workspace and others, especially management, are wary of home working in terms of staff discipline and productivity, but with IT technology today the latter at least can be monitored and evaluated.

The new CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, has decreed to all Yahoo staff that home working is to be scrapped as she believes that the "social" environment of the office is better and "more productive." Meyer herself returned to work just days after giving birth.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21588760

I say - good for her but just because she is a workaholic doesn't mean that all her employees have to be either. IMO she sounds like a right wagon to work for.:rolleyes:

If staff are happier and more productive working from home than what it the problem? It saves time wasted by commuting, is better for the environment and allows employees greater flexibility. Yes, of course home working isn't for everybody and I like the way that I combine working form home with an office environment each week.

What do Boardsies think?

B.A._Baracus

I've actually heard alot about 'working from home' but I cant think of most professions that do can someone enlighten me?

Rabies

Advantage: naked at the office desk

Disadvantage: spilling coffee while naked at your desk

Killer Wench

It isn't that people were happier and more productive at home. Prior to making the decision, HR conducted many reviews of VPN trends and there were many employees who were taking advantage of the privilege of working from home. I worked for a high tech company up here in the Seattle area and I have the option of working from home on occasion. When I did, I found my productivity and level of stress was down, but I did miss the inside jokes, impromptu meetings, and other social interactions that did spike creativity.

I don't think this was a permanent policy. I think she is doing it to scare away those who only want the privilege of working from home and who do not have an investment in seeing Yahoo succeed. Admittedly, Yahoo has probably run its course (I could be wrong) so they need a hell of a lot of overhaul.

CollardGreens

It would save on overhead! No driving to work (gas savings), no rent to pay, no eating out as much, no new clothes/shoes and your schedule would be more flexible.

A lot would depend on what kind of business. If you were a lawyer or doctor then obviously it wouldn't work but you could do a retail business easily from home.

humbert

I do work when I'm working from home but most people I know do bugger all when "working from home".

amtc

When focused, I'm fine - but then found myself watching not just Jeremy Kyle, but on demand Jeremy Kyle repeats....

ashers22

I like the sense of routine I get from having to go to work, I don't think I'm disciplined enough to work from home either and yeah I think I'd miss the social aspect of it too, that's important to me.

im invisible

pawerbafdh wrote: »

Friends! The Ainol Novo7 Venus buy cheap Quad Core the Tablet PC Android 4.1 IPS HD Screen 7 Inch 16GB this dual camera Black! $ 20 discount! Now priced at $ 155.99! Friends! Really can not miss! http://curt.kr/PmTjU

i bet you this guy is working from home right now

BBDBB

self motivation is the biggest drawback, there are loads of distractions at home that are non productive (boards being one)

advantages - flexibility to fit work around other things in your life

Son Of A Vidic

pawerbafdh wrote: »

Friends! The Ainol Novo7....

Friends?


Fúck off!

brandon_flowers

Pro: Porn

Con: No free tea/coffee

oldyouth

I couldn't work from home. It wouldn't be the same stalking the women there

jester77

My place is flexible, can work from home or the office or even somewhere remote. I've even done a few trips to Oz and worked remotely from there.

I still prefer the office, going for a coffee, having banter and the best part is going out for a nice lunch. When I am at home I usually get food delivered and it's bloody lonely.

OldGoat

The biggest disadvantage of working at home are the interruptions from family and friends that feel you can drop work to go and do other stuff at will. I get more interruptions at home then I ever get in the office.

The Cool

I'd say you need to be uber-disciplined to work at home. I used to be crap at studying at home to be honest, but then now that I'm in the routine of sitting at my desk 9-5.30 I could be better at it.
I work in translation industry and am currently working in project management in a company but could go freelance and work from home. I think working from home would be really handy in terms of not having to leave at 7.30 to be at work for 9am, finishing work in the evening and then just walking the 5 steps to the couch, saving money on transport, food and clothes as well.
But I think I might go mad from sitting home all day every day with nobody around. For 3 weeks last year when I moved to Dublin I spent the day at the table working on my thesis, and spent every hour counting down the time til my OH would be home to talk to, just for my sanity. Thankfully I only had to stick it for 3 weeks before finding full time employment.
I think down the line it'd be very handy when there are kids in the mix - I'd much rather work at home than have my kids with a childminder all day, arrive home at 7pm and literally just put them to bed.

Shenshen

I do it sometimes, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time.

It's very handy for when you need to be at home for some reason (expecting a delivery, things like that), and I find I tend to work longer hours and more concentrated when working from home.

But I have on one occasion worked from home for one whole month, and I can say with some certainty that while I appreciate doing it from time to time, I would not want to do it in any permanent way.
I ended up feeling very isolated indeed. Nobody to talk to all day, and focused soley on the work had me very unhappy after the first week.

B.A._Baracus

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I've actually heard alot about 'working from home' but I cant think of most professions that do can someone enlighten me?

It should be possible to work from home in a lot of jobs where your work is done through your PC. IT for instance being a standout one. You can connect to the servers at your work place through a VPN and work away no different from being in the office.

Personally I think its a nice option to have, I was always one for studying at home rather than in a library for instance. I have been doing research for the last few years which meant I mostly needed to be in the lab but when I start writing my thesis shortly I will be testing out which suits best, i.e. working from home or in the office. I reckon a mixture of both will be best. Working from home would also give me the opportunity to spend a bit more time up at home (my family home) rather than just weekends and holidays.

tomboylady

I work from home on average one day a month. I usually get up by 7, work for a few hours, then shower, eat, maybe go for a walk, then back to the table for another few hours. I can get work done in an hour that would take me a full day if I was in the office surrounded by distractions. I wouldn't want to do it everyday though.

The Cool

The Cool wrote: »

I'd say you need to be uber-disciplined to work at home. I used to be crap at studying at home to be honest, but then now that I'm in the routine of sitting at my desk 9-5.30 I could be better at it.
I work in translation industry and am currently working in project management in a company but could go freelance and work from home. I think working from home would be really handy in terms of not having to leave at 7.30 to be at work for 9am, finishing work in the evening and then just walking the 5 steps to the couch, saving money on transport, food and clothes as well.
But I think I might go mad from sitting home all day every day with nobody around. For 3 weeks last year when I moved to Dublin I spent the day at the table working on my thesis, and spent every hour counting down the time til my OH would be home to talk to, just for my sanity. Thankfully I only had to stick it for 3 weeks before finding full time employment.
I think down the line it'd be very handy when there are kids in the mix - I'd much rather work at home than have my kids with a childminder all day, arrive home at 7pm and literally just put them to bed.

You can't really work at home and mind kids, though. You'd get nothing done!

I work at home as a freelance translator but also teach at a language school for a few hours every day and do one or two private classes at home. That's pretty much perfection for me, to be honest. I get social interaction but without all the office politics bullsh*t and I'm home for most of the day to get stuff done, put laundry on, whatever.

I'm not really a people person, so office-based work was never going to work for me. I don't like b*tching, backstabbing or gossip and would prefer to get on with my work. I'm pretty independent and like doing things my way, not going through pointless procedures because 'that's the way it's done', so I think freelance work is much better for me. I hope to keep up the language classes for social interaction and I also go out with friends a lot in the evenings, so I don't feel particularly isolated. I felt more isolated in an office full of horrible people, tbh.