PROS AND CONS OF WORK FROM

HOME FOR WOMEN-IS IT

BRINGING WORK LIFE BALANCE
OR EMOTIONAL IMBALANCE
 WHAT IS A WORK-FROM-HOME ?

• A work-from-home job is a job you can perform from home. They often require an internet
connection so you can collaborate and network with colleagues and managers. Working from
home or telecommuting gives employees the flexibility and freedom to perform their work tasks
from their home offices.
Some telecommuting employees even travel while they work, as long as there's a reliable internet
connection so they can complete their job duties. While working from home can be highly
appealing and come with many benefits, there are also potential drawbacks to consider when
switching to a work-from-home position.
 PROS AND CORNS
FOR
WORK FROM HOME FOR WOMEN

PROS AND CONS

OF
WORK FROM HOME

PROS CONS

•  More independence •  Increased isolation

•  Increased productivity • Risk of overworking
• Increased satisfaction •  Less face time
• Improved technical skills • Distractions at home
 PROS
MORE INDEPENDENCE : WORKING FROM HOME CAN PROVIDE AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE IN
YOUR JOB THAT MIGHT BE ABSENT IN A PHYSICAL WORKPLACE. MANY REMOTE ROLES REQUIRE SELF-
DISCIPLINE AND MOTIVATION ENOUGH TO MANAGE TIME RESPONSIBLY AND COMPLETE JOB TASKS

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY : WHEN YOU WORK INDEPENDENTLY IN A QUIETER ENVIRONMENT,

YOU MAY BE MORE PRODUCTIVE. INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY RELATES TO SEVERAL MORE FACTORS
INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO MOVE AROUND YOUR HOME FREELY AND TAKE BREAKS WHENEVER YOU
FEEL THE NEED TO. BEING ABLE TO STEP AWAY FROM YOUR WORK WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED A
BREAK CAN HELP YOU STAY MOTIVATED AND REDUCE BURNOUT

INCREASES SATISFACTION : EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION IN REMOTE POSITIONS MAY BE HIGHER

BECAUSE OF THE FLEXIBILITY IN PERFORMING THEIR JOBS. NOT ONLY ARE YOU ABLE TO MAKE
DECISIONS INDEPENDENTLY, BUT YOU'RE ALSO ABLE TO WORK COMFORTABLY WITHOUT THE WORRY
OF OFFICE-RELATED STRESS, INTERRUPTIONS OR OTHER CHALLENGES YOU MIGHT FIND IN A
TRADITIONAL WORKPLACE. THIS CAN HAVE A DIRECT INFLUENCE ON YOUR OVERALL JOB
SATISFACTION.

IMPROVED TECHNICAL SKILLS : TELECOMMUTING OFTEN REQUIRES USING TECHNICAL

APPLICATIONS, SUCH AS ONLINE MEETING, COMMUNICATION AND TEAM COLLABORATION
PLATFORMS. YOU ARE ABLE TO DEVELOP TECHNICAL SKILLS THAT YOU MAY NOT TYPICALLY USE IN A
PHYSICAL WORKPLACE
 CONS
Increased isolation : You can become quite isolated working from home if you spend the majority of your time by
yourself, working independently. The key to avoiding loneliness and isolation as a remote worker is to schedule
outings and events with friends and family. Some remote workplaces offer regular team events to encourage
socialization.

Risk of overworking : Telecommuting also comes with the risk of working longer than you should. This can
definitely lead to burn-out and increased work-related stress. You can avoid this by clearly defining your schedule and
allocating specific times for your job tasks and personal tasks. For some people, it's important to have a designated
workspace that you can leave when the workday is over.

Less face time : With isolation and workplace disconnect comes less face time. Working remotely, you won't have
the same opportunities to speak face-to-face with coworkers and the community unless you get out and about. You
can also integrate more face-to-face interactions within online conference platforms to engage with coworkers .

Distractions at home : Distractions like the television, pets or household chores can affect how you perform your
job. Too many distractions can lead to a decrease in your productivity and motivation. You can avoid this by limiting
anything that you find distracting in your home. Use noise-canceling headphones and play relaxing music to block out
noises like traffic and neighborhood activity.
 WORK LIFE BALANCE

Pursuit of a balance between work and the rest of our daily lives is a fairly recent concern.It has emerged amid
growing concerns over contemporary demographic developmentsthat are bringing about dramatic changes in
the gender and age of the work force(European Commission, 2002; Labour Market Trends, 2001) and
increased concernswithin the UK in particular over its long working hours culture (Dean, 2002; Hymanet al.,
2002). These developments have accelerated concerns over health and fitness,occupational stress and the
difficulties in combining work and childcare (DTI, 2001b).The trends toward flexible working patterns are
also influenced by technologicaldevelopments whereby business can be conducted away from the specified
officeenvironment and often at considerably lower financial costs, making working at 3amand on holiday de
riguer (The Observer, 2002).
THERE IS A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO ENCOURAGE FLEXIBLE WORKING WHICH HAS BEEN
EXPLICIT
IN ANY MATERIAL AIMED AT THE COMMERCIAL OR PUBLIC SECTOR BUT THIS REMAINS
HIDDEN WHERE
THE BENEFITS ARE BEING SOLD TO EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS IN GENERAL.3 IT IS
IMPORTANT THEREFORE
TO CHALLENGE THE CURRENT VIEW THAT THAT THEIR ARE ONLY POSITIVE BENEFITS TO BE
GAINED BY
PURSUING THE WORK–LIFE BALANCE (HYMAN ET AL., 2002). COMBINED WITH THE RECENT
INTEREST IN FLEXIBLE WORKING PATTERNS HAS BEEN AN INCREASING
FOCUS ON THE HOME ENVIRONMENT AS A PLACE WHERE WE WORK, LIVE, SHOP AND SEEK
ENTERTAINMENT
(HENLEY CENTRE, 1998; MOORE, 2000). THIS SHIFT TO COMBINE WORK AND LIFE MORE
EFFECTIVELY IS PART OF A CYCLICAL TREND WHICH PREDATES THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION WHEREBY
HOME AND WORK WERE NOT VIEWED AS SEPARATE ASPECTS OF LIFE SPATIALLY OR
CONCEPTUALLY.
RECENT WORK HAS SUGGESTED THAT THE INTEGRATION OR SEPARATION OF WORK AND
HOME SPHERESIN CONTEMPORARY WESTERN SOCIETIES IS DETERMINED BY THE WAYS IN
WHICH PEOPLE NEGOTIATE
THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE TWO AND IS IN THIS SENSE A MATTER OF INDIVIDUAL
PREFERENCE
(NIPPERT-ENG, 1996). THIS WOULD SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT THE ISSUE OF WORK–LIFE
BALANCE IS A
SUBJECTIVE MATTER. GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS OFFER LITTLE EXPLANATION OR DETAIL
OFWHAT THEWORK–LIFE BALANCE
ACTUALLY ENTAILS. AS POINTED OUT BY GUEST (2001: 4) THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL
AS[D]EBATES ABOUT WORK–LIFE BALANCE OFTEN OCCUR WITHOUT ANY CLEAR AND
HOWEVER THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO OPERATIONALISE THE CONCEPT. THIS
INCLUDES
BOTH SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE APPROACHES; HOWEVER THE EMPHASIS WITHIN RESEARCH IN THIS
AREA IS ON THE LATTER (GUEST, 2001; HYMAN ET AL., 2002). THE 2003 EUROPEAN WORKING TIME
DIRECTIVE DEFINES 48 WORKING HOURS A WEEK AS AN APPROPRIATE MAXIMUM. THE ‘OBJECTIVE’
DEFINITION IMPLIED BY THIS IS THAT THOSE WHO REGULARLY WORK MORE THAN 48 HOURS A WEEK
WILL HAVE AN IMBALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND THE REST OF THEIR LIFE (GUEST, 2001). A MORE
SUBJECTIVE APPROACH WOULD BE WHEN THERE WAS A PERCEIVED BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND
OTHER LIFE RESPONSIBILITIES. CLARK (2000: 750) DEFINES BALANCE AS ‘SATISFACTION AND GOOD
FUNCTIONING AT WORK AND AT HOME WITH A MINIMUM OF ROLE CONFLICTMOST OF THE WORK IN
THIS AREA MAKES A SIMPLISTIC DISTINCTION BETWEEN HOME LIFE AND
WORK–LIFE AND DOES NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATIONS OF
RESPONSIBILITIES
WITHIN EACH SPHERE. WILLIAMS (2000) SUGGESTS THAT WE CAN MAP PEOPLE’S WORK–LIFE NEEDS
WITHIN THREE DIFFERENT BUT CONNECTED AREAS OF THEIR LIVES. FIRST, THERE IS PERSONAL TIME
AND
SPACE: WHAT DO WE NEED FOR THE CARE OF SELF AND MAINTENANCE OF BODY, MIND AND SOUL.
SECOND, CARE TIME AND SPACE: WHAT DO WE NEED TO CARE PROPERLY FOR OTHERS. AND THIRDLY
THERE IS WORK TIME AND SPACE: WHAT DO WE NEED TO ENABLE US TO GAIN ECONOMIC
SELFSUFFICIENCY.
ACCORDING TO WILLIAMS (2000) A BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND DAILY LIFE COULD
BE SAID TO BE ACHIEVED WHEN EACH OF THESE AREAS ARE BALANCED TOGETHER
 EMOTIONAL IMBALANCE

First, people seem to feel more alone without the necessary support they need, according to
Dominique. The sudden lack of physical connection can leave workers feeling they have nowhere
to turn when they feel stressed or anxious. It becomes more challenging to form the strong support
network which is crucial for good mental health, Dominique emphasizes. Then there's adapting to
working from home, which can also contribute to an increased workload. There's the temptation to
work longer hours, and for those who don't have a home office setup there's no disconnect between
home and office life.
THIRDLY, THE TREND OF BACK-TO-BACK VIRTUAL MEETINGS WOULD NOT BE
POSSIBLE IN A PHYSICAL OFFICE. WITH FEWER OPPORTUNITIES FOR INFORMAL
CATCH-UPS, MANY WORKERS ARE SPENDING MORE TIME IN THESE MEETINGS. AS
WELL AS BEING A TIME DRAIN, THESE VIDEO MEETINGS CAN TRIGGER
FATIGUE AND LEAVE PARTICIPANTS FEELING—IRONICALLY—DISCONNECTED.
THIS ISSUE IS PARTICULARLY ACUTE DURING LARGER MEETINGS, WHERE THE
SPEAKER IS UNABLE TO SEE INDIVIDUAL FACES“IN A PHYSICAL ROOM, YOU CAN PICK
UP ON PEOPLE’S REACTIONS, AND SEE WHETHER THEY ARE ENGAGED,” SAYS DOMINIQUE.
“BUT ONLINE, THIS ISN’T POSSIBLE, AND IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO PERFORM YOUR ROLE AS
LEADER.
“IT CAUSES A SUDDEN INCREASE IN YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL
WORKLOAD.” THIS ALL AMOUNTS TO HEIGHTENING STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS,
WHICH IS BAD FOR BOTH LONG TERM EMPLOYEE WELLBEING AND COMPANY
PRODUCTIVITY. SO, HOW CAN COMPANIES OVERCOME IT?
YOU COULD SPEND DAYS NOT TALKING TO ANYONE WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO
ANYWHERE TO WORK.
ALTHOUGH YOU BYPASS DISTRACTING COWORKERS,

YOU DO MISS THE SOCIAL ASPECT OF CHATTING AND VENTING ABOUT WORK AND LIFE
WHEN YOU’RE REMOTE. THIS CAMARADERIE DOESN’T TRANSLATE THE SAME WAY OVER
SLACK

PRESSURE TO HUSTLE 24/7. HAVE TO FIND WORK AND THEN CREATE IT? YOU PROBABLY
SQUEEZE IN WORK WHENEVER YOU CAN. BUT WITHOUT TIME TO DISCONNECT AND
UNPLUG, YOU RISK BURNING OUT.

THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN WORK AND HOME LIFE BLURS FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK IN
THE SAME PLACE THEY SLEEP. YOU MAY FEEL PRESSURE TO BE ON WHEN YOU SHOULD
BE OFF.

WORKING FROM HOME REQUIRES TIME MANAGEMENT, INVOICING SKILLS, MARKETING, IT

TROUBLESHOOTING, CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND MUCH MORE. SWITCHING BETWEEN THESE
HATS MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY WILL WEAR OUT ANYONE.