Home office: a word that probably every employee has heard enough of lately. Due to the Corona pandemic and the increasing risk of infection, many companies came into contact with the possibility of letting employees work from home for the very first time. Do the advantages of the home office outweigh the disadvantages, so that the work model will be retained in the future, even if there is no longer a risk of infection? Employees speak of improved concentration in the home office, but employers fear unproductivity and inefficiency. So who is right? We get to the bottom of the matter.
Advantages of working from home office
First and foremost, let's look at the benefits of working from home. Does it make sense for employers and employees to offer or take advantage of home office opportunities?
1. better concentration
Many employees report that they can concentrate better in the home office than in the office. What's the reason? Quite simply, it's the peace and quiet and the chance to work at a pace that's comfortable for you. No one shows up at home unannounced and chats you up, even though you're working on an important task. Every action you perform in remote work can be consciously perceived and performed with the highest concentration. In addition, the home-like and pleasant environment within one's own 4 walls improves the overall working atmosphere.
2. cost and time savings
Whether it takes 30 minutes, 1 hour or even 1.5 hours. The commute to work can turn out to be a real time killer. Thelonger the distance, the higher the costs to the employee, which are covered by some employers in the form of a job ticket, but still represent a greater financial burden for many. If one works in a home office, the time and money can be used for other meaningful things.
3. promotion of employer attractiveness
The younger generation in particular demands flexibility and personal responsibility on the job. For this reason, home office can be a great attractiveness bonus for the employer. At the very least, being able to work from home 1-3 days a week is a huge plus for many employees.
Disadvantages of working from home office
Now let's move on to the disadvantages of working from a home office. Whether it's distraction or lack of social interaction... for some workers, home office is not easy to implement.
1. social contacts only via video
Probably the biggest criticism of working from home is the lack of social contactwith colleagues. Of course, video chats can be made and phone calls can be made, but the shared coffee and meal break, where in most cases it's not necessarily about work, is eliminated. The fact of sitting alone at home and not being able to talk to anyone in person can be a huge burden for many people.
2. not suitable for single parents and parents without childcare.
8 hours of concentrated work is almost impossible as a single parent or parent without childcare. Logically, working in a home office in such a situation can be extremely stressful if the child requires a lot of attention. If you let yourself get involved, you become unproductive and may not be able to complete the tasks at hand. So with a child at home who needs care, home office is not suitable.
3. distraction potential large
Distraction is a big criticism when it comes to the home office. Whether it's pop-ups on the PC, the call from family members, the finished laundry or the cell phone, everything that is normally taken care of after work has great potential to distract the employee in the home office. So self-discipline is needed to keep distractions to a minimum.
Is home office now the work model of the future?
For many occupational groups Yes! For craftsmen, construction workers and people for whom the distraction within their own four walls is too great, Definitely No!
Whether working from home is suitable as a work model depends heavily on the employee's occupational group and living situation. However, the trend is that more and more employees are saying that they can work better and more effectively in a home office, but more and more companies are moving back in the direction of presence or at least hybrid work models.
So what is the right way forward?
Talking to each other and finding out which work model is best suited for the respective job and for the employee's corresponding life situation is by far the best and most sensible approach. Not every employee is in the situation to be able to perform home office work efficiently. The employer should be aware of this so that a joint solution can be sought. Hybrid models can also be very suitable for creating a balance between the two work situations.
Sources:
Home office: advantage, disadvantage, perspectives - SWR2 (swr.de)
Home office is good, hybrid work models are better (springerprofessional.de)
kununupress questions - Frequently asked questions by journalists to kununu (firstaudit.de)
Images:
Pixabay.com
