5 Disadvantages of Working from Home

By December 2021, 22% of Canadians — over 5 million people — worked from home.

Since then, as hybrid work becomes the new normal, people have embraced telecommuting — working from home.

But 17% of regular employees want to return to the office daily, maybe because working from home can be lonely, distracting and exhausting.

Even if you have a home office where you can lock yourself and work uninterrupted, there is still a chance of getting distracted by an attention-hogging pet or child.

How about the unending laundry or blasting music so loud until you forget you have an important Zoom meeting or email to attend to?

Taking this into consideration, here are five drawbacks that most of our clients have reported while working from home.

1. Isolation and Lack of Social Interaction

As Aristotle said, “Man is by nature a social animal, we thrive on interaction, and communication with other people”.

Yet, while working from home, we lack this socialization with other people.

In fact, in 2019, Buffer carried out a survey that found 19% of remote workers struggle with loneliness while working from home.

This leads to a loss of morale, increased stress and decreased job satisfaction which may even lead to a decline in overall mental health.

2. Difficulty Separating Work from Home Life

If you have a family, working from home may be challenging to balance a healthy work-life balance.

You try to reply to an urgent email but your toddler walks into your home office bawling their eyes out, seeking comfort and attention.

Also, you tend to work for longer as you have difficulty separating work from home life even if you don’t have kids or pets.

This leads to decreased job satisfaction and increased anxiety. It may also lead to physical health issues like back pain, weight gain and eye strain.

3. Limited Access to Resources and Equipment

Working from home can limit efficiency as you may lack access to specialized tools and equipment.

These tools and equipment include inadequate internet speed, lack of specialized software or hardware, limited printing or scanning capabilities, and a less-than-optimal work environment with uncomfortable furniture or poor lighting.

Limited access to these resources can lead to delays in completing tasks, decreased job performance, and overall dissatisfaction with work.

4. Lack of Supervision and Accountability

While working from home, you are your own manager.

You manage what you will be doing and when you will be doing it.

Most people with a structure and routine that they follow to a T may not find this an issue.

But for most people, working from home leads to a lack of structure and motivation which causes a decline in work productivity and quality.

Why? Because of the lack of regular check-ins or face-to-face interactions with supervisors, you are more prone to distractions or procrastination.

5. Increased Distractions and Interruptions

According to a Glassdoor survey, below is a tabular representation of the distractions and interruptions of working from home.

Distraction Issues	Survey Results
Watching TV	For 32% of employees, watching TV is one of the most distracting activities.
Childcare	27% of employers with children under 18 say being unable to cater to their children distracts them.
Lack of social interaction	25% of employers with children under 18 said they lacked social interaction with other people while telecommuting.
Lack of human interaction	22% of employees said lack of human interaction could make them less productive as it distracts them.

The Solution: Renting Office Space

Working from home has limitations, but you can easily rent office space and work from there a few days a week or a few hours a day.

Meaning you share a working space with other remote workers or people looking for a change in their working environment.

Renting an office space brings a new perspective on working, especially for remote workers who do not have the luxury of working from a traditional office setting several days a week.

Also, according to a study on Office Vibe, 64% of entrepreneurs were more productive after using a coworking office environment.

Not only that, a coworking space may offer networking opportunities as you meet different people working from various industries where some of your goals may align.

The Westlund Building provides an open-concept co-working space that is an ideal environment for fun and collaboration. It is perfect for business-minded people who need inspiration and look to be energized by escaping the mundane.