Culture

What are the real pros and cons of remote working?


It only took a couple of months for the coronavirus to completely change the world as we knew it. Each day we learn a new way to adapt to working from home as we social distance and self-quarantine in response to the current global health situation. The pandemic has shown more people they can easily work from home, relying on email, chats, and videoconferencing to quickly communicate with colleagues.

Although employees are split on whether they would rather work remotely or in an office, most say remote work has both benefits and challenges. Based on the BlueGrid intern questionnaire we have found out what are the real pros and cons of this type of adjusting.

Work from home

Pros for remote working

  • More time for yourself – For example, if you are a web developer or a content creator, you can most likely do your coding or writing whenever it suits you as long as you meet your deadlines. So, night owls, rejoice! You can still put in your eight hours without starting at 8 AM.

‘’Not having to drive to work is the biggest benefit since it saves a lot of my time.’’

‘’I have more time for myself and with my family, it’s more comfortable to work from home.’’

  • You can save money – Of course, you will see an immediate difference in your bank account when you do not need to bear the costs of commuting. And you can also save on food costs since you will easily be able to whip up your own lunch and coffee if you work from home.

‘‘I spend sooo much less on food and gas, definitely, fuel savings is a huge benefit.’’

‘’No more separate wardrobes for work and for the rest of my life.’’

  • More work is done – If you are not sneaking off binge Netflix, you can actually be more productive when working from home. You can control your working situation much more—you don’t have to worry about co-workers stopping by to “just ask a quick question” (and 20 minutes later…), obligatory socializing when you grab more coffee.

‘’Less noise and distraction from the environment that can slow me down in carrying on with my duties.’’

‘’Having naps during breaks, which I just recently discovered and find it extremely useful, because the brain recovers a bit.’’

All staff meeting (screen #1)
All staff meeting (screen #1)

Cons for remote working

  • It can be lonely – Working all day without access to coworkers and colleagues can be very isolating and lonely. It is hard to establish trust and develop relationships with colleagues when you do not have a casual collaboration that often happens in an office.

‘’I miss the crew at the office, for me, it’s much more fun to work in a group than alone.’’

‘’ Sometimes you just want to drink coffee and work with your colleagues.’’

  • You may forget to clock out – While some people might think working from home means doing less, the opposite might be true for diligent employees. There can be less distinction between work and personal life when you feel like you are always “at work”, making it harder to shut down and more likely that you will overwork.

‘’It is tricky to limit your working hours. You spend your shift working, and then later if I take the computer, often I am again checking Slack or working, even if it is for some short period of time.’’

‘’It is easier to get obsessed with work in general, and not in a good way.’’

  • Many distractions – Just quickly do the laundry, go grocery shopping, clean the house, and maybe play with your kids? Potential distractions are everywhere when you work from home. It really takes a lot of discipline to focus on your job and get things done.

‘’Constantly remind family members that I am working and that I am not available for a chat or any other activity. Especially hard is to say NO to daughter when she wants to play with me and make me company.’’

There are definite solutions
to the cons, just as there are benefits to the pros. In the end, it is all about working with the right type of person and having open communication about expectations from the beginning.


Working from home affords you flexibility, but it also demands a lot from you in return. Do you see any more work from home pros or cons? Let us know.


Stay safe and stay online 😊

Share this post

Share this link via

Or copy link