Work from home Vs office work - which is best?
Work-from-home is here to stay, but what is lost when employees no longer head into the office and is it worth it?
Just five years ago the idea that almost half of the Australian workforce would be doing their jobs from the comfort of their own homes would have seemed absurd. But that was precisely the case in 2021 and working from home still remains a popular option for many Australians.
There are critics and advocates for both working styles, but which is better? Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each to determine this.
Work-from-home
Working from home involves carrying out working hours and duties remotely. While this is referred to as ‘work-from-home’, remote employees often make use of local co-working spaces, libraries or cafes, taking meetings virtually rather than in-person.
This was a requirement of many roles during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and is still a common working practice in 2023. Around 35% of Australians say they would start looking for a new job if their employer required them to return to the office full-time.
Hybrid working, which involves splitting the working week between office days and work-from-home days, is another increasingly popular option, especially in Australia which has the highest percentage of hybrid roles compared to the global average.
Pros of work-from-home:
Flexibility
Not being tied to an office makes it easier for an employee to fit their job around their life. When working from home, it’s easier to fit appointments, school runs, and even lunchtime workouts into the working day without compromising on the quality of their work.
Increased productivity
While some employers might imagine that work-from-home employees are making the most of their reduced supervision to take excessively long lunch breaks and regularly slack off, in reality, the reverse is true. Studies have shown that 6 out of 10 employees report increased productivity when working from home and that it can lead to increased performance and fewer sick days.
The ability to create their optimal working environment and reduce distractions means that employees who work remotely often achieve more than their office-based counterparts.
Improved mental wellbeing
The increased flexibility and control over their own time combined with factors such as avoiding the need for lengthy commutes and the ability to spend more time with family members means that working from home can have an amazingly positive impact on employees' mental and emotional well-being.
Cons of work-from-home:
Potential for burnout
The positive impact on mental well-being isn’t guaranteed, as work-from-home employees who feel intensely monitored and overwhelmed by an unrealistic workload are more likely to report a negative experience.
To create a positive work-from-home environment, employers should check in with their teams regularly but not too often, trust their employees to manage their own workload and time, and create opportunities to discuss issues or concerns openly.
It can be isolating
One of the great joys of office-based working is the camaraderie between employees. Working from home can make it harder for employees to get to know their colleagues as it removes opportunities for those small social interactions that can lead to more meaningful friendships.
For those who live alone especially, working from home can be a pretty isolating experience.
Office-based work
The more traditional office-based style of work involves employees commuting daily into a shared office space to complete their hours.
Many employers prefer this style as it allows them better oversight of their team’s progress, facilitates easier collaboration and can make issues like data security easier to manage.
There are drawbacks to this style as well, however, with some employees disliking the lack of privacy and regular distractions.
Pros of office-based work:
Guarantees workplace standards
Employers have a legal obligation to provide adequate resources for their employees to carry out their job. This is easier to control in an office-based environment as employers can fit their spaces with regulation quality chairs, desks, computers monitors, and printing and copying facilities.
When employees work from home, it’s harder to ensure that each team member has the appropriate resources for their job and to provide them with high-quality equipment if they do not.
It can be tricky to coordinate delivery of resources in time for a new employee’s start date when onboarding, and to guarantee a return of equipment when a team member leaves.
Easier collaboration
When working together in a shared office space, it’s easier for employees to ask each other quick questions and to communicate without the challenge of potential misunderstandings which are more common with emails and Zoom calls.
In-person meetings are also more suited to creative collaboration, making use of physical tools such as whiteboards and post-it notes to map out processes and action plans. Zoom meetings can be stifling to creativity as you contend with connection issues, technical difficulties and unfamiliar online tools.
Better work/life separation
One of the more unexpected challenges of work-from-home environments is the lack of separation between an employee’s work life and their home life.
Working from an office helps an employee to enter ‘work-mode’ when arriving each morning, and equally, to better switch off when they leave to go home. When working from home, many people find it harder to separate their working days and relaxation time which can lead to people working longer hours and ultimately suffering from burnout.
The office commute may feel like a waste of time but it's probably more important than you think!
Cons of office-based work:
Inflexible hours
The rigid nature of most office hours means that employees have less control over their own days. Unlike when working from home, they usually cannot take a long walk over their lunch break or easily slot a school pick up into their day.
For some employees this isn’t a big issue but this inflexibility can make many jobs less accessible to people with children, disabilities, or other personal needs.
Increased stress or anxiety.
Working from home allows employees to create their ideal working environment. For lots of people, office spaces are not actually conducive to productivity as they can be bright, noisy and busy areas with lots of small distractions.
On top of this, open plan offices can give employees the sense that they are being monitored which can cause them to feel pressured and anxious.
One survey found that 76% of participants report workplace stress that affects their mental health and that employees without access to flexible work (including work-from-home) are more likely to have poor mental health.
Which is better?
At the end of the day, the question of which style of work is better comes down to individual choice. There are advantages and drawbacks to both so employers looking to support their teams appropriately would be wise to keep an open mind when it comes to flexible and hybrid working practices.
For more information, or for help finding the office-based or remote job that is right for you, talk to a member of the team at Conquest today.
