Advantages and disadvantages
essays 2: Work

A ______________________________ ?
The main thing that I enjoy about it is the fact that I can manage my time effectively. I can sit down and look at the day ahead and set my own deadlines and plan when to take my breaks. It also reduces stress because, for example, I don’t have to travel to work, so I don’t need to deal with the rush hour traffic like so many other people do on a daily basis.

B ______________________________ ?
Yes, definitely. I miss being around other people, striking up friendships and building relationships at the office. When I work from home for an extended period of time, obviously I don’t come into contact with any of my colleagues. I know it sounds funny, but when I eventually go see them, I tend to just want to talk because I’ve been cut off from them for so long.

It must be nice to work in your own home. Is it?

Yes and no. When I first started to work from home, I liked the idea of getting up and working in my own environment. I felt relaxed. But to be honest, it’s easy to get too relaxed and get into bad habits. So even when I’m going to work at home, I get up and put on a suit, then get in my car and actually ‘drive to work’. Then I do the same thing at the end of the working day to ‘drive home’. I find this helps you to keep your home and work life completely separate. If you’ve had a busy day, you can close the door on the office and drive home and leave all your problems ‘at work’.

C ______________________________ ?
Absolutely. Your work environment becomes your home environment, and I don’t think that is a healthy situation. Personally, I like to combine the two, so I like to go into the office on a Friday afternoon to see my colleagues and wind down a little at the end of the week. I find I can manage my workload at home and do this because I don’t spend time commuting to the office every morning and evening.

Do you know many people who work from home?

Yes, it’s becoming more and more common, and in IT, an increasing number of people are working in remote locations such as in India and China. In fact, because technology is becoming more and more reliable, there is less need really for people to be in the office. Some companies actively encourage it if they are looking to cut costs.

D ______________________________ ?
Yes and no. I mean, I don’t get the same level of interruptions from people working around me, but on the other hand, if you work in an office, you can just turn around and speak to someone behind you and get an instant answer to your question. It’s also nice to be able to bounce ideas off people at work. When you are at home, you have to pick up the phone and often find that the person you need is not available. At other times, there are breakdowns in communication, not only on the phone but also in emails. As IT is a global business, there also tend to be cultural and linguistic issues as well. For example, you think someone is saying one thing but they are actually saying another, and that can be a massive disadvantage.

Do you feel different after a day of work at the office?

Yes. If I’ve been into the office and had a busy day, I think I appreciate my home life more and I feel like I have a better work-life balance. That’s not easy to do if I’ve been working from home.

E ______________________________ ?
I think you need to develop a strong sense of discipline and I think it helps psychologically if you put on a pair of trousers and a work shirt, even if you’re working at home. Having said that, it’s very easy to wake up and put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Sometimes at the end of the week it’s quite nice, but to do it all the time gets you into bad habits. I like to try and keep home and work life separate, and for me the way you dress is one of the things that helps you to do that. I also like to go for a walk or a drive for half an hour to end the day — that way, when you get back to the house, the working day is over.