Working from Home: the Pros and Cons for Employers

As mentioned previously, President Duterte officially signed the Telecommuting Act. Both employees and employers can consider offering a work from home arrangement in their companies but of course, with that comes pros and cons. In our last article, we discussed the pros and cons of employees working from home. This time, here we’re highlighting the pros and cons of this remote arrangement for employers.

PROS:

1) An employee is less likely to be late

Employees would not need to fight tooth and nail just to get to work on time. In Manila, you always hear anecdotes of employees getting up early just so they’d be able to avoid traffic and the rush of employees to get to their workplaces. Even with that, you’d still hear them say they spend hours on the road, and sometimes, still end up being late. Without the need to travel to work, employees would be able to start their work earlier.

2) Employee is happier

Having a work-life balance is incredibly important for employees. Most people do want to have a life outside of work, after all. With employees working from home, they’ll be able to do their tasks in an environment they’re comfortable in. Flexible hours would also make employees happier; they can take care of their families, do tasks and errands, and the like without needing to worry about having to do all of that after their work. A happy employee means better productivity for a company.

3) Employee is healthier

Employees’ stress levels would decrease significantly if they were to work from home. Traffic (especially here in Manila) is probably at the top of the list that makes employees stressed. As we’ve said in the first point, most employees spend their hours on the road. Upon getting to work, they’re already exhausted, physically and mentally, and they haven’t even actually started their tasks yet. Not needing them to commute reduces this exhaustion. Another factor that could make employees healthier is that they’d be able to avoid viruses and germs in the office. A lot of times, when an employee gets sick, the rest follow suit as the germs get easily passed to one another. Working from home significantly prevents that. Your employees would then spend less of their sick leaves and be able to work at the top of their health.

4) Reduced operating expenses

As an employer, having employees who work from would save up on the costs. Smaller office spaces would suffice as fewer desks and furniture would be needed. It also helps you, as an employer, save on overhead costs. These savings may allow employers to convert it into better benefits for employees.

5) Increased productivity

Productivity is perhaps one of the most significant factors for an employer. If employees are able to work in a relaxed environment, productivity levels would surely be higher. With commuting out of the picture, interruption decreased, and having a great work-life balance, employees would surely be able to meet the productivity standards employers seek.

CONS:

1) Limitations in communication

Communication roadblocks are possible as there would be less face to face time between employees. It may also be possible that the relationship between team members could be strained as they don’t have to see each other daily. Miscommunications might also happen when most employees’ communication occurs over email, voice calls, or chat messages. Sometimes, issues are better solved when done in person. This can be solved by making sure to have an open communication between employees and employers, and for the employees to visit the office at least twice a week.

2) Problem with collaboration

In line with the first con, collaboration problems might also arise as employees work remotely and have less time interacting with their fellow co-workers. Instead of having the collaborative atmosphere that an office space offers, employees and employers might have an awkward working relationship.

3) Internet problems

Not everyone has a stable internet connection in their homes. And even if some people do, it can also go offline at times resulting to them needing to look for open spaces that offer free Wi-Fi. It would also be an additional cost for some employees to have a fast internet connection installed in their homes just to be able to work.

4) Monitoring challenges

Since employees are working remotely, management might have a difficult time monitoring them. Mistrust might also arise since employers don’t exactly control the employee’s hours, they would end up worrying about the loss of productivity. Some employers would also rather “see” their employees working in person.

It’s only a couple but we hope our suggestions were able to help both employers and employees weigh your decisions on whether working from home is truly for you. Let us know how it works out.