{"id":6981,"date":"2019-09-25T09:33:18","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T08:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=6981"},"modified":"2023-01-13T17:12:26","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T17:12:26","slug":"pros-cons-of-working-remotely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/pros-cons-of-working-remotely\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Remote Work Right for You? The Pros & Cons Of Working Remotely"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remote work or \u201cworking from home\u201d is often touted as the \u201cfuture of work.\u201d Does the \u201cremote work is the future of work\u201d statement have any legitimacy whatsoever? And if so, what are the pros and cons of working remotely?<\/span><\/p>\n

This shift to remote work has been made possible by advances in technology. While remote work is becoming more common, it is still far from a standard model of employment. In this article, we\u2019ll review the pros and cons of working remotely. Some are good, and some are so-so. But all in all, they\u2019re pretty eye-opening.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Common Is Remote Work?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Short answer:\u00a0<\/span>Remote work<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is more common these days than you\u2019d think.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more context,\u00a0<\/span>IWG<\/span><\/a>, a serviced office provider based in Switzerland, found that 70% of professionals work remotely \u2014 at least one day a week. Meanwhile, 53% of people surveyed worked remotely for at least half of the week.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remote work (or telecommuting) has grown by over 91% over the last decade. According to the results of a survey from\u00a0<\/span>Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs<\/span>, 3.4% of the U.S. workforce work remotely. Buffer\u2019s 2019\u00a0<\/span>State of Remote Work<\/span><\/a>\u00a0report found 99% of people surveyed would be open to remote work during their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those are some compelling numbers — numbers that already prove that remote work will be part of the future of work. But we all know numbers by themselves don\u2019t paint a fuller picture. That\u2019s where personal insight comes in.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pros of Working Remotely<\/span><\/h2>\n

As someone who\u2019s always optimising his life to be more efficient, there are three tangible benefits I\u2019ve witnessed almost immediately after working remotely. Each has resulted in a drastic improvement in my baseline happiness and productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s Just Convenient<\/span><\/h3>\n

Among the pros and cons of working remotely, the most significant advantage for me hands down has to be convenience. No more waking up at 6 am to catch the subway, which arrives at 6.30 and then doesn\u2019t show up for another 20 mins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, you get to work from anywhere. I\u2019ve worked from cafes, restaurants, hotel lobbies, parks, airports, beaches, and even on vacation (I would probably stay away from my laptop on my next vacation, however).<\/span><\/p>\n

Being a remote worker comes with a massive perk: the ability to mix business with pleasure by working and traveling<\/a> at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

In large part, this is because technology has made remote work easier. Video conferencing and communication has become a breeze with tools like\u00a0<\/span>Glip<\/span><\/a>. You can run a video meeting with\u00a0<\/span>RingCentral<\/span><\/a>\u00a0tools. All you need is a stable internet connection<\/a>, a good laptop, and a \u201cget things done\u201d attitude.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saves Money<\/span><\/h3>\n

Commuting to work costs money \u2014 a lot!<\/span><\/p>\n

If you happen to live in the States and drive to work \u2014 you’re probably spending in the region of\u00a0<\/span>$2,000 per year just commuting<\/span><\/a>. And this figure is on the conservative end.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the UK the figure is lower. Commuters travelling into London, on average, spend \u00a3305 per month. It’s quite a bit of money. What would you do with that? I’d probably spend the money on\u00a0<\/span>learning some new marketing chops<\/span><\/a>, hiring a personal trainer to keep me accountable, or perhaps even taking an extra vacation (this time with my laptop at home).<\/span><\/p>\n

Save Time, Skip The Commute<\/span><\/h3>\n

On average, you will spend almost 4.35 hours per week or a whopping 200 hours per year commuting to work and back if you\u00a0<\/span>live in the US<\/span>. For the UK the\u00a0<\/span>figure is lower<\/span>. Yet the average commute time has risen to 48 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, one in seven of us spends two hours or more commuting to work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Talk about significant time sucks.<\/span><\/p>\n

While some people find ways to make the most of this commute by listening to podcasts, reading a book, or even planning their day \u2014 nothing is a more efficient use of your time than \u201cnot commuting to work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If you begin to think of all the ways you could spend those extra 2-4 hours per day, the possibilities are endless. On the same note, working remotely also allows you to set your hours. You can work at a pace you\u2019re comfortable with \u2014 I love working from 7 am to 3 pm, which then gives me plenty of time to enjoy life outside work.<\/span><\/p>\n

From A Business Perspective<\/h3>\n

But what about the pros and cons of working remotely from a business standpoint? \u00a0<\/span>Allowing your employees to work remotely is not just a fancy employer branding tool but has tangible benefits that come along with it. Here are some off the top of my head:<\/span><\/p>\n