Does Work from Home Affect Career Progression?

A lot has changed since the hard hit by the pandemic. The outbreak of Covid-19 has forever changed the way people look at their work. People have tried working from the office, home, and even co-working spaces.

While some changes have been welcomed, some barely managed to fit into the picture. And, when we talk about business operations and jobs, the sudden shift towards flexible working or as we say it now, work from home has affected operations and businesses in many different ways.

Even before the pandemic, companies were offering WFH and flexible hours, however, it came into the limelight pretty recently.

We cannot debate whether working from home will help us achieve “that” professional growth or not. But the question here is, does working from home affect one’s career, and should be working from the office not be a thing anymore?

Let’s look at some of the key aspects of how it is affecting us and what we need to do to strike a perfect balance between our professional and personal life.

Compromised Mental Health

Working from home in your pyjamas and comfy beds sounds cool, right? However, studies have shown that employees working from home are more prone to loneliness, isolation, and most importantly detachment. Working from our comfort zone works only when we take good care of our minds and body.

Once we are off that track, we can find ourselves working overtime, neglecting the basic needs of our bodies. For people early in their careers, this might not be a good thing, as they may feel deprived of human interaction, office fun, and not to forget networking!

We can Save Time and Money  

Commuting has resulted in excruciating wasted hours. Everybody is loving this work-form-home concept as they have found more financial stability. Who doesn’t want to save time and money? But when we look at the broader picture, it might end up showing us something we never thought of.

We need to see at what cost are we saving our time and money. Working from home surely is rewarding, but companies have now started introducing a hybrid work model, which is the key to a balanced life.

Some days you can save your commute time and money to work at home and sometimes you can just go to the office to get the perfect work environment. Did you catch a perfect balance here? Yes, you did.

Constant Fear of Missing Out

Not only does mental health take a toll on us, but our career progress also is dramatically impacted. One cannot understand a co-worker online unless or until they spend time together in the office.

We constantly feel disconnected from our team. We come online, do the work, and then what? The best way to understand your colleagues is to spend time with them in person.

If we talk about people early in their careers, Working from home robs most of their growth opportunities both professionally and personally. Younger people get less chance to display their abilities and talents.

There is so much to learn and explore that work from home would never provide for. Working from home restricts them from the business aspect of their work.

More Family Time

There are no two ways about it, that work from home has made us close to our family as we get to spend a lot of time with them. But again, when we look at the bigger picture, one needs to get out of their comfort zone to discover what new the professional world has to offer.

Going hybrid can help you in spending time with your family as well as with your colleagues and that’s how you find a balance!

Snapping Connection

If we look at Work from home from a business perspective, it is not at the brighter end when it comes to collaboration and creativity. When people work together they get inspired by the zeal and ideas of their employees.

Working from home will always keep us in the comfort bubble that needs to be burst. Also, having an intrinsic connection with the employer, which obviously will not come by working from home all the time, makes us all the more connected to the work.

Lack of Networking

The Professional world needs a strong networking game. An online presence can never match up to an in-person interaction. In-person interaction is the win when we consider networking. Going to the office allows us to meet different people from different backgrounds, Business Units, Organisations, and teams.

We get to know what else is happening in the company apart from the work we are contributing to. So, get out there and make as many connections as you can and that will happen if we go to the office.

Should You Choose Coworking Spaces Over Work from Home Environment?

There are different stands when we talk about work from home as working professionals have different skill sets, experience, and choices too.

Something that is working for a 5-year professional may not work the same for a fresher. Taking that into account, hybrid is the balance that we need right now professionally.

Hybrid work gives us much-needed “flexibility” and makes us feel less fatigued. Many companies have started shifting to the hybrid culture as it not only lets you work in your comfy clothes when you don’t feel like getting out of bed but also lets you discover the joy of working in an office.

When working from home does not sound exciting, coworking spaces are to the rescue. For people who want to work in their comfort zone and sometimes it gets quite distracting at home, why not opt for co-working spaces?

Co-working spaces are the next big thing in line in the corporate world. Don’t feel like going to the office? Work from home.

Want to experience the joy of working from the office and get inspired by your colleagues? Work from Office. Want your own space? Go for a coworking space you love. What is not possible in today’s world? We have all the flexibility of working from anywhere we want.

So, the above-mentioned alternatives combined will end up giving the most fruitful results in the short as well as in the long term. This combination will never affect one’s career curve!