Yesterday I wrote an article about the benefits that you gain by working from your house, The Advantages of Working from Home. Today, I wanted to cover the benefits of working from an office, as there are quite many. Yes the price of gas and transportation has risen quite a bit in the past few years which has made it more cumbersome financially to go to work outside of your home, but there are certainly still some very powerful advantages that remain, so let me point them out:
The social factor
People that seek to work from home are not usually completely aware of how important this is. In an office, you are around people, you can speak, you can make friends, and you can socialize. This is a very important part of being an individual…we absolutely must socialize. Working from home, you don’t get to meet as many people and have a more abundant social life. Plus, I have met life long friends in offices I worked in, so you can’t deny how crucial this is to your life.
Higher motivation
Working in an office, it is much easier to get motivated to work. You have people around that ideally push you to do well and create a positive environment to work in. When you are alone at home, you need to be a special type of person that can motivate yourself, as it can be quite boring to work alone and this can destroy your motivation. Having worked on a sales floor, I can tell you that the motivation is much higher with people working next to each other than if everyone was working alone in a closed unit. It makes a huge difference.
Separate work from home life
We all have our own worries and issues to deal with at home. When you work in an office, you have the opportunity to go somewhere and forget about your home life for a few hours and get outside that “bubble”, which helps not only in healing but in getting a more logical perspective on the issues you may be dealing with. I find that you appreciate home much more when you are not constantly there, no matter how comfortable and convenient it might be. It’s important to disconnect, clear your mind, and change your thoughts. Working outside of your home provides you with this ability.
Less distractions
In my post about the advantages of working from home, I mentioned that working from home can increase productivity. This is in an ideal environment with a motivated individual that does not get affected by all the distractions around. Then, yes working from home can be more productive, since you are saving on commuting time and energy. However, we all have to agree in saying that there are many more distractions at home than in an office. It could be your spouse, kids, family, friends, and all the chores or tasks that you need to get done around your home. For this reason, working from an office will definitely provide you with less distractions, which will help you focus more and help your productivity in return.
Builds discipline
Having to wake up early, and being somewhere in particular each and every day will undoubtedly increase your discipline. You can’t afford to slack off and be lazy when you have someone or something to be accountable to. Working from home, you have the luxury of being all on your own and this can ironically be your own worst enemy. Building discipline is crucial to your life and important if you want to ever accomplish anything of value. Again, it takes a certain special type of person to be able to discipline themselves all on their own without having to answer to anyone. Such people certainly exist, and I am a living proof of that. But in reality, most people find it extremely hard to discipline themselves if left to their own devices, and this is why working in an office is an advantage since it forces you to be disciplined without giving you the option not to be.
I think the case has been made for either working from home or working from an office. There are huge benefits to each one. However, I feel that it comes down to the type of personality you are and what fits you better. For example, if you are a social butterfly, you will probably be miserable working from home. You would thrive in an office though. If you are more of a loner and someone that enjoys working alone, then you are a shoe-in for being a home-based worker. If your family is very important to you, and if your finances are a priority, working from home will provide you with such benefits. If you are more corporate and you are looking for advancement and greater career opportunities within the hierarchy of a corporation, then an office environment is definitely for you. So as you can see, it really comes down to what type of person you are and what you are looking for 😉
