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The pros and cons of working from home

They say a man’s home is his castle but should it also be his office? Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer clearly believes the two domains should be kept separate.

Mayer potentially opened the floodgates for employers to revoke work-from-home privileges for employees by introducing an onsite work policy.

The decision may seem harsh given Yahoo’s digital nature, so we’re interested in seeing the arguments for and against working from home:

Pros

1. Flexibility

It is close to impossible for those living in remote areas to get to work on time and have the energy to work for the next eight hours, or be back in time for dinner with the family. You could be relaxing in your couch, watching the TV or baking a cake, but that time would instead be mostly spent on public transport or in your car.

2. Opportunities

If working from home was banned, parents of young children are left to choose between spending a lot of money leaving their children in day care or being a full time parent. Why choose between the two when you can be both a parent and work? Also for some businesses, the people with the required skills may not necessarily be found locally.

3. Financial savings

Employees can save considerably from travelling costs, business wear and buying lunches.

Cons

1. Colleagues

When working from home, it’s difficult to find time to meet up with your team for lunch or drinks after work. Some of the best decisions and ideas come from interactions with your colleagues. In a statement to their employees, Yahoo believed that insights “come from hallway and cafeteria discussion, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings.”

2. Managing a balance between work and private life

The lines between work and private life are often blurred when working from home. With the technology today, people will be tempted to reply to a work email late at night. There is the flexibility in the hours you can work while at home, but without a proper guideline, people can also find themselves overworking.

3. Anonymous

This depends on the industry you work in. Some customers will feel comfortable when they can see the actual products in a store front at a convenient location. Working from home can pose issues of trust, safety and accessibility.

Let us know what you think about banning employees from working at home.

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Amy Pun

Amy Pun

Amy Pun is a journalist at Dynamic Business and Dynamic Export. Amy is interested in online journalism and social media. She is studying in her 4th year at the University of Sydney doing Bachelor of Arts Media and Communications and Bachelor of Law. She's looking forward to working with the DB team!

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