Working from home can seem like a dream come true: No boss hovering over your shoulder, break times whenever you like, you even get to pick your own dress code – PJs anyone? But the realities of working from a home office are often much more complicated than they first appear and most people find that the downsides soon begin to outweigh the positives. So why should you avoid the home office, and look for a business opportunity in a brick and mortar office? Let’s take a look:
5 Reasons to Reconsider a Home Office Business
- Work/Life Balance – Finding a work life balance is difficult at the best of times, but when your office is only a few steps from the kitchen it becomes more complicated. Without a clear segregation between your work and personal life you’ll likely find yourself checking email part-way through dinner, or refereeing family disagreements when you should be focusing on business.
- Fewer Interruptions – Sure it might feel like there are more interruptions in a communal workspace environment, but the reality is quite the opposite. In a dedicated work environment the interruptions are almost always work related, while in a home office your interruptions are much more likely to be related to household, family or personal matters.
- Isolation – Working from home means avoiding all the drama of office politics, but the truth is that a home office can actually be very isolating. This isolation leads to increased anxiety and even higher rates of depression. In order to avoid those issues you’ll need to make social interaction a priority, putting extra time and effort into organising social activities throughout the week.
- Productivity – Working from home significantly reduces productivity. So much so that the CEO of Yahoo recently announced that working remotely would no longer be acceptable for Yahoo staff. Even Google and Facebook discourage working from home, with Facebook currently building one of the world’s largest open plan offices to accommodate its staff.
- Support Team – One of the biggest downsides of working from home is that you’re working alone, working in a communal office or corporate environment allows you access to all sorts of support staff, whether it be access to other executives, or access to hired staff members to whom you can delegate tasks, freeing you up for more important work.
When you’re researching new business opportunities, make sure you take a closer look before you add “works from home” to the pro list. You might just find that working in a home office causes more harm than good.
Interested in owning a bricks and mortar business? Kwik Kopy is one of Australia’s top rated franchises for owner satisfaction. Contact us today to find out why.
