4 Pitfalls of Working from Home and How To Prevent It from Happening

The pandemic has successfully shed new light on the working culture. The company is finding out that in actuality, employees can work effectively anywhere, even in their own homes without any limitations of the office building. Aside from that, working from home itself has tons of benefits for both the employees and the company.

Working from home can help employees to balance their work and daily life. They may work from anywhere, pick their own hours, and set things at their pace. Allowing employees to work from home is also believed to make work done more quickly, effectively, and efficiently. At the same time, the company will be able to save expenses which they may usually spend on office needs. Thus, working from home can be a win-win solution for all.

But at the same time, this new working system also has its drawbacks. Thus employees must be fully informed about this, and know effective ways to prevent the pitfall from happening.

Feeling Isolated from Social Life

One of the reasons why people work, besides needing money, is the need to interact with other human beings. Online communication whether via messenger or others will not be able to replace a person’s direct communication.

Thus why feeling isolated is one of the major issues for people who are working from home. It’s so easy to feel isolated from the outside world when you’re not among other people, something that you usually get daily at the office. This is especially so for people who are by nature extroverts. As a result, they may easily get lonely and depressed. 

What to do:

Make sure to plan regular social activities throughout your week to prevent falling into this trap. Find time with your friends or coworkers to go for lunch together, or work from a cafe instead of home. Working in a new environment may also help to give a boost to your work productivity. 

You can also join classes or clubs so you can meet new people to interact with. This pitfall can be easily prevented if you have the will to do it. You can stay social easily, even when you work at home.

End-up Procrastinating

When you work at home, your boss or superiors won’t be near to control whether you are working or not. You have the freedom to work at your own pace. But unfortunately for some, this may cause significant procrastination. 

Your work documents may appear to require immediate attention, yet your bed looks warm and comfortable. Thus you end up delaying your work over and over again. This can make your productivity and work quality decrease over time.

What to do:

Create a daily schedule for yourself and follow it to prevent falling into the procrastination trap. Make a schedule for your workday based on the priority list, and try to keep to it as much as you can. To ensure you are not distracted during working hours, you should work away from your bed, turn off the TV, and put your phone aside. These three are the ultimate distractions that may pose during work-from-home situations.

If you have kids or family around at the house, you should also inform them that during certain hours you will need time for yourself to work. Thus, they should not bother you if it’s not urgent. 

Distractions Due to Household Chores

There are a lot of possible distractions related to household chores when working from home. You have laundry that needs to be done, dishes that need to be washed, and other chores to work on. Your work and household chores might clash with each other from time to time. 

What to do:

Remember that you may have the flexibility to work from anywhere, but at the end of the day – you are still paid by the company to do your work. Thus, you should prioritize it during working hours. 

But it also does not mean that cleaning the house is not important. A clean and tidy house is the one thing that can support your work productivity. If you are really busy due to your work, and at the same time notice that your house needs immediate assistance, you should contact a professional home cleaner that can help you out on this matter. Visit http://lucehome.sg/ to book the best and most professional house cleaners in Singapore.

Don’t Have Regular Working Hours

Work from home means that you have the flexibility to manage your working hours. There are no longer regular 5 to 6 regulations that you may do like in the office. Thus, you can either place too much importance on work all day or you may neglect your work and put it off constantly. 

What to do:

It’s crucial to establish boundaries to avoid these pitfalls. Create a timetable for yourself and follow it to prevent falling into this trap. Make a plan for the hours you’ll be working, and then make sure you stick to it. 

It is important to keep managing when to work, when to rest and do other things in between if you want to maintain your productivity. 

Conclusion

Working from home is a great way that can make employees’ lives easier. But the flexibility of it, at the same time, also poses a risk that can jeopardize your work quality. 

Knowing what the pitfalls are and how to prevent them from happening, hopefully, can help you to avoid them and thus be able to make the most of your work from home time.