On paper it may seem that working from home is the most-independent, cost-effective, and supportive for your idea. Not to mention you can dedicate the entire space to yourself without distractions from other departments, businesses, as well as all the things that happen in a traditional office space. It’s also attractive to work from home in that you can set your schedule, when you want to take time off, and wear whatever you desire. This doesn’t include the disadvantages of working from home.
When it comes to efficiency, productivity, security, and making the most of your opportunity, however, working from home can come short of being the best option for the following 10 reasons:
Here Are The Biggest Disadvantages of Working From Home
Internet That Isn’t Suited For Business
Home internet will not have the bandwidth or reliability that business internet has. Furthermore, if your internet is not secured your business will be in jeopardy of having a breach and losing money/critical information. WUN’s software has countless features that benefit all, one of which being WUN’s Internet feature that promotes consistent connectivity for your clients.
Lack of Amenities and Resources
If you’re working from home, you’re limited to working from your living spaces aka a massive disadvantage of working from home. If you have a big meeting planned with a prospect, an investor, or someone important you need to speak to, setting up a meeting in your kitchen or at the local coffee shop isn’t going to cut it. Furthermore, when working from home you’re responsible for having your own supplies and services. This can prove tiresome and a strain on your budget.
Cabin Fever from No Community
Lack of social interaction with other workers is a disadvantages of working at home, especially ones from your own industry, can result in feelings of isolation that can certainly prove counterproductive in the long run. Relating to those who work in your field by having them within your vicinity is often an overlooked aspect to building a positive company culture.
No Avenues For Collaboration
Within a Coworking space you’ll always relate to several other workers who are in the same boat as you. This enables an environment where new ideas can be proposed and discussed. Best of all, Coworking spaces often have a workspace management platform that is capable of connecting users on special collaborative projects.
No Security
If your home gets broken into, your entire operation is at risk. Furthermore, if your network isn’t secured by a professional-grade solution, your files and records are also in jeopardy of being breached and compromised. If your clients suffer as a result of identity theft, you can and will be held liable. A huge disadvantage of working from home.
Non-Optimal Environment to Work From
The work surface of home is subject to many distractions. Especially if you’re living in a small apartment in a big city or a home with a family. This can often lead to taking your equipment with you someplace else like a coffee shop, or rather a “coffice”, to break ground on critical tasks. one
Company Not On The Same Page
It takes more than email to get everyone to work together remotely. Without an infrastructure in place, you, your superiors, and your coworkers will always be chasing each other to stay on the same page.
Lack of Project Management
As it goes with email, Google Docs may not do the job either. Especially when multi-tasking on various critical assignments. A shared space can provide a system in place for organizing workflows and keeping everyone on the same page of multiple projects unlike working from home which is a disadvantage of working from home.
Lack of Self-Motivation
Just because it’s your livelihood doesn’t mean you’re at your peak desire to get work done. Being in a workspace where you’re surrounded by productive neighbors, with a design and infrastructure in place that inspires great work, is an invaluable asset to keeping your eyes on the prize.
Opportunity Costs
Aside from being responsible for your own overhead and your supplies, not having the right resources in place can lead to missed opportunities. If you can’t collaborate with others remotely, organize your projects to best meet demands and deadlines, or have internet that is reliable to finish the assignments that day, you’ll be missing money that could very easily be made in a shared workspace.
As shared workspaces are continuing to rise in demand, granting freedom, flexibility, and inspiration to their members, working from home is becoming increasingly passe. There are more disadvantages of working from home, many of which that effect your efficiency, productivity, inspiration, as well as future opportunities. We believe the best place to work is the one with a system in place that makes it a better place for getting things done. If not you face one of the major disadvantages of work.
While initially working from home may seem the better option, the costs can certainly add up and kill the experience. For further questions on how WUN can improve the quality of a shared workspace, please click the button below.