The pandemic (or “quarantine”, or “lockdown”) has inspired a new work-from-home culture in the United States. Some love it. Others hate it.
During the course of my career, I’ve worked from home as well as from the office, and here are the pros and cons of each.
Pros of working from home:
- no commute
- more productive
- comfy working attire
- greater privacy (sometimes!)
- more time to just “be yourself”
Cons of working from home:
- distractions (kids, tv, etc)
- always take your work home
- no face-to-face communication
- no “energy” from a shared workspace
- Internet connection reliability (slow, outages, etc)
Pros of working in an office:
- easier social engagements
- easy face-to-face communication
- chance to escape the home environment
- quick decision-making (impromptu meetings)
- no reliance on personal workspace (Internet, equipment, etc)
Cons of working in an office:
- commute time
- very little privacy
- distractions (talking, laughing)
- unproductive environment (cube farms, etc)
- too much structure (meetings, lunch hours, etc)