Working Remotely: Expectations vs Reality

As access to the Internet is spreading in more locations and becoming affordable to more people, the work-from-home possibilities turn into something quite natural. The so-called "online jobs" are on the rise.

And for a good reason. Flexibility, convenience, more free time - all those are tempting and highly sought after by potential workers. No wonder the best online offers have a lot of competition.

As people start to be increasingly interested in such a lifestyle, the need for a reality check arises. Once you begin living and working in a home office questions about it pop up.

Are work-from-home jobs what we expect them to be? Is it all so glamorous and effortless as in those advertisements of young girls and boys working from anywhere around the world?

In this article, I'd like to share the positive and not-so-positive sides of being a remote worker through the eyes of someone who have been working from home for the past eight years.

Expectation 1: Increased Productivity

One of the advantages that remote jobs offer is the productivity level. Working in an office comes in a package together with your colleagues asking you questions, and your manager checking on you.

These are distractions that you can't avoid in an office environment. It is expected that when you reduce the noise and perform your job from a quiet and comfortable place, such as your couch, productivity will get better.

Reality:

While it is true that there will be no distractions from the office, it doesn't mean that you will have the luxury of a quiet space to work in. Home offers the safety of a known environment, but might be as well a source of multiple noises.

Unless you live alone, you will hear your family members doing housework or talking between themselves. Outside noises like baby crying, construction work, etc. can also take away your focus from you, especially if the inside is very quiet and the contrast is huge.

Expectation 2: Flexibility

Flexibility is probably one of the main reasons why people choose to work online. They expect to have the option to work whenever they want to, from wherever they want to, and organize their time according to their preferences.

Reality:

Being flexible in your job is great, but unfortunately, it doesn't come with all remote positions, and not to the extent we desire before we land the job.

Here is a practical example:

I was working in a company that has the following rules for all participants in the project: work from within the country you are residing, and work from a private place (no coffee shops, crowded areas, etc.).

This automatically means reduced flexibility - you cannot travel abroad and work at the same time. Certainly, you can have holidays in a different country, but nobody will pay you for that. In terms of work, it means lost hours and money.

If you want to work from the local cafeteria, the first thing you need to check is whether it is appropriate for the company you work with. If you signed a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) you will not be able to work at places where people will have the chance to see your screen.

Expectation 3: Reduced Expenses

When you work from home you can save on many things. You no longer need to buy food in restaurants or fast food on your lunch break. Instead, you can cook the meals at home. You will enjoy benefits like a reduced amount of money spent on transportation.

It is no longer necessary to have special clothes or suits to go to work. These are all major expenses strongly tied to office jobs.

Reality:

Reducing many of the types of expenses doesn't mean that other types will remain the same. While all these expectations are true (clothes, transportation, meals), other expenses replace them. These are equipment, internet, and any devices you will need (e.g. headset).

Since you will be spending most of your time at home working, you should also expect an increase in utility bills (I bet you haven't thought of that!). It's also important to note that if you want to be productive and efficient in your work, you will need to invest in a quality laptop.

Expectation 4: Freedom

Many people expect that when they start working from home it will be a fun, exciting, liberating, and adventurous experience. The way to travel around the world with your laptop if you want to, and enjoy life for its beauty.

Reality:

Nobody is completely free. Yes, working from home is liberating. It is flexible. It is a dream. But at the end of the day, it is still "work".

That means that you will still have struggles with concentration, deadlines, the amount of work required by you, etc. The freedom is real, but it is only up to a certain extent.

Expectation 5: Better Work-Life Balance

Remote work is the end of asking for time off to attend a certain event or take care of your assignments. No need to make appointments upfront and adjust them according to your schedule.

It's the other way around now. Your schedule gets adjusted according to your other appointments.

Reality:

You can indeed manage your time however you wish with a flexible schedule. The real question here is: "How good are you at time management?"

Let's look at the following situation:

You want to go on a holiday with a friend, and you can adjust your schedule to fit theirs. However, since your friend is still working in an office, a request for leave would still be required.

You can have the freedom to choose your dates for a holiday only if you go alone or with people who are on a flexible schedule as well. In all other cases, you would need to adjust to someone else's schedule and paid leaves.

How about this situation:

You are working and you are focused on reading some instructions for a task, but a family member or your child needs to ask you something. You interrupt your job, forgetting the last sentence you read, to pay attention to your immediate surroundings. Once you are done answering this person, you go back to work, only to be interrupted again in ten minutes or less.

And another one:

You were busy all day with appointments with the doctor, attending an event, meeting friends you haven't seen for a long time, and you go back home late in the evening. You have a deadline to follow so it's time to get back to work. The only problem is that after running around all day long that's the last thing you want to do and you will probably be not so productive that day.

The reality about Work-Life Balance is that you need to learn time-management skills and tremendous self-discipline.

Other things to take into consideration are boundaries with your family regarding the work/break schedule you want to establish for yourself at your home. Being constantly interrupted leads to lower productivity, and eventually more mistakes.

Is Working Remotely Better than an Office Job?

For me, the answer is definitely yes. Despite all the struggles, despite the new and challenging skills I had to learn on the way. With the right attitude, anyone can turn most of the expectations into a reality and a dream come true.

If a job is not flexible enough - change the job.

If the expenses are too high - earn more.

For every issue that arises in a home office, there is always a solution.

We should always strive for the best jobs that help us reveal our full potential and make us a valuable part of society.