The numbers do not lie: working from the comfort of your own home is becoming increasingly popular. Statistics in the Netherlands show that nearly 3 million Dutch people regularly work from home (2015). It differs per person, whether or not working from home is preferred. But what do the figures say about the pros and cons of working from home?

Home workers more productive?

Can you do more work when you work from home? You are not the only one, research shows that when you can do your work independently, where and whenever you want, employees are more satisfied with their work, are more willing to show extra commitment and are more loyal towards their employer. At a large multinational, they found out that home workers were no less than 13% more productive than people in the office.

A nice feeling

In addition to the fact that working from home increases productivity, I myself always enjoy working from home because I can work in a very focused way. Try to find out what works for you. For example, I always manage to write blog posts at home. In addition, I have time to finally do smaller tasks, such as answering e-mails, updating translations or updating the planning. I also like to start earlier, this means you can also stop earlier. Also, working from home saves travel time! This ensures that starting earlier does not have to be so intensive and yet you benefit from a somewhat longer free evening!

Keep an eye on your own feelings

Although working from home has a number of advantages, it has disadvantages too. For example, when working at home, it seems that people take less time for breaks, work longer and are also inclined to complete some tasks in the evening. I also recognize this in myself. Sometimes I just forget to have lunch! A good balance between being at home or in the office is different for everyone. For example, I work a day at home once every two weeks. When I need some extra quiet days, I occasionally pick a day to have an extra home working day.

Working at home while feeling sad or anxious?

Try to prevent the line between work and private from being blurred. Also try to walk around or do something else during your home working day, remember to take breaks! Maintain standard working hours (for yourself, not necessarily from 9 to 5, but do not work longer than 8 hours). Make sure you stay involved with you colleagues. Also keep an eye on what you do when you are in the office and try to find the right balance for yourself.

Are you in treatment? Or do you have a mental coach, discuss with him or her how working from home influences you and what is possibly the right balance. The “isolation part” of working from home can make you feel unhappy. Prevent this feeling by looking for a nice workplace outside if, for example, you do not want to go to the office several days a week! So you are among people, but you can still enjoy the freedom of working when and wherever you want (within lines of reason of course ;).

Do you ever work at home? What do you find advantages or disadvantages?