Around the world, more employers are experimenting with work from home employment. Plus, more people are exploring the option of freelancing their skills over the internet, so they can work from home either part-time or full time. In both cases, the results have changed the way both employers and employees have viewed the 
concept of work in dramatic ways. Following are some advantages and disadvantages to working from home.
Employers
For employers, the benefits of letting employees who can stay home and accomplish their tasks offers several benefits that help improve the overall productivity and profit margin.
- -Fewer Absences
- -Less Attrition
- -Lower Expenses
- -Greater Work Production
- -Increases Morale
- -Happier
- -Keep More Money
- -More Productive
- -Utilize Time Efficiently
- -Take Care of Children
When you consider the number of travel-related reasons that prevent employees from coming to work, the benefits of never having to leave home are apparent. Plus, most people enjoy working from home, so that means fewer people leaving the company.
It also lowers the expenses in terms of maintaining your office or facility since fewer people are present company’s require less space which reduces leasing costs. This also enables company’s to hire the best employees because they are not limited to local talent and can hire employees that live anywhere. This is also very enticing to potential employees.
Add to that, happier employees are willing to do more work which boosts the overall morale of the company. Being that the office is in the house most likely employees will work longer hours turning the commute time into productive work time. Another benefit is employees won’t feel the constant need for multiple vacations because of being trapped in an office.
Depending on your business, there are good reasons why some employees can work from home if they have a good internet connection, computer, and the resources needed to do their work. Work-life balance is a big topic these days with employees and there’s no better way to improve the work-life balance of your employees than to let them work from home.
Employees
For employees who have the opportunity of work from home employment, there are definite advantages as well.
When given the choice between working at the office compared to home, most people will take home in a heartbeat. People are happier not only because they stay in familiar surroundings, but it also cuts travel and food expenses which means more money in your pocket. With gas prices increasing every day this is a major expense that is eliminated by not having to commute. You can also use your time more productively to get your work accomplished as compared to commuting back and forth to the office.
This is because you can prioritize better, work at times that suit you best, and press to get things accomplished that may not be possible when traveling to and from work. Not to mention the time and stress your work commute creates. This also frees up time to do the household chores such as laundry, making dinner and cleaning the house. This is where multitasking comes in to play. This frees up time at the end of the day to spend with your family or enjoy your favorite hobby.
Another benefit is that you are better able to take care of children, particularly those who are school-aged, better from home. While babies and toddlers need considerable attention, an older child who is sick or home from school can be 
overseen by you better when you are nearby. This also saves considerable money in daycare which goes back in your pocket.
Disadvantages
This is not to say that working from home is ideal for everyone. Because it is so ingrained in the work culture that being at the office means working, there are some, particularly undisciplined people, who may not benefit from being at home. You need to have an excellent work ethic and be very disciplined.
There are more potential distractions which may cut into your productivity. For business owners, it becomes more difficult to relate information quickly or hold meetings to bring people together on short notice. This was absolutely the case 20 years ago, however with modern technology, such as the internet and Virtual Private Networks, this is becoming less of an issue every day.
However, even with the few disadvantages, the work from home employment concept is gaining considerable ground. This is due to the remarkable success and benefits that working from home offers both employers and employees. For parents and those who take care of others, those with long commutes, and people who get more done while away from the office, working from home has definite advantages.
Are you interested in learning how to work from home full time without having a boss? Check out this Review.
Working from home can be harder than it sounds. Firstly, you have to be disciplined to get the work done. You can also find yourself working way too many hours. At the opposite end, there can be a lot of distractions at home, and harder to focus.
However, there are loads of benefits as well, like to list here in your post. I don’t think everyone can do it successfully though, but the majority of people should be able to make it work and improve their lifestyles in the process.
I couldn’t agree more in what you said about being disciplined. That is a must if you want to be productive and work from home. I do think the benefits far outweigh the negatives though. Thank you for your comment.
I think the advantages of working from home far our weigh the disadvantages — however you have to be willing to make yourself work which can be hard if your used to a boss or someone else telling you what to do.
Also not to mention even though you can be around family and do what you want when you want — you have to find a place you can solely focus without many distractions.
Again though I think if you asked the majority of people out there — 99% would love to work from home.
I couldn’t agree more Michael. Thank you for your comment and good luck in your future endeavors.