Disadvantages of working from home

Home-based business owners need to consider the pros and cons of working from home before setting up a home office. Here are some things to consider.

When your commute is as short as your bedroom to your living room, a lot of workplace anxieties go out the window: water-cooler talk, intra-office gym contests, whether you’ve worn the same jeans for six days straight. But working from home has its own pitfalls. Here's what they are.

The phrases “remote work,” “distributed teams,” and “digital nomad” have become trendy on the Internet lately. A lot of companies and virtual employees (us included) are writing about why it’s so great to be able to work from across the world and on your own schedule.

Last week I discussed the advantages of working from home. This week, I am going to talk about the disadvantages so you can decide which working style works for you.

Working from home can be great but is not for everyone. Here are some of the disadvantages of working from home or running a home-based business.

When you hear “remote work” do you think of “dream job” and the ability to work outside of the office (dare I say on the beach)? Remote work has become a popular option among today’s workforce. Many companies allow the ability to work from home when necessary while others hire for full-time remote positions. Telecommuting has grown significantly in the past few years. From 2005 to 2011, the number of employees who worked from home at least a few days a week grew by 60 percent, by one estimate.*

Here's why working at home is both a curse and a blessing.

Working from home can sound like a dream come true. However, like any job situation, there are many disadvantages to home employment that may become apparent over time. For some, this can mean making a few adjustments to make the situation more tolerable. For others, the disadvantages can be so powerful that they will put an end to working from home. Consider the situations below as you decide if you should work from home.