Home vs Office: What's Best For Your Business Productivity?

If you have the option of working at home or at the office, you may not be sure how you feel. Both locations have their advantages and their disadvantages, and you’ll discover that it may be a harder question to answer than you might think. If you have been offered the choice of whether to come into the office or to telecommute, consider some key elements that might sway your decision. It is far better to think ahead than it is to regret the decision that you made too hastily.
Consider the commute. If you have a long commute, it is almost certainly worth it to work at home. If you are spending more than an hour of your day on the road, you’ll find that the time you save is much better for your productivity. You can simply get up and get to work, and this is something that can leave you significantly more clear-headed as well.

Think about group work. If you have group work to do, or people that you need to see face to face, working at home can be more of a hassle than not. This can still work if the people you want to work with are married to their e-mail and their office chat. However, if they are hard to track down and you have wait for their okay every day, you’ll find that your productivity is going to drop.
Look at your space. Do you have a place to work when you are at home? Working at home typically does not mean staying in your bathrobe and working on the couch. Your productivity will not go up unless you have a good place to work. Think about where you have the most distractions. In some cases, getting away from the office lets you focus. On the other hand, if you are going to be dealing with children and pets and other family members, you may want to stay at work.

Ask yourself how sociable you are. Some people work best when they can pepper their day with office talk and small chats. If you work at home, you may find yourself dealing with a lot of solitude. While some people deal well with being on their own and not having outside conversation, it makes other people more inclined towards distraction. Think about how well you do when you are completely on your own.
Question your motivation. Some people can only work if they know that someone is looking over their shoulder. If that is you, stay at the office. If, however, you can work under nothing but your own motivation, working at home may prove more efficient for you. Working at home requires you to be disciplined, but the rewards are great if you are. When you are debating whether to work at home or to simply stay at the office, there are a number of factors to be considered. Pause and ask yourself whether working at home is right for you. There are pros and cons to both sides, so be honest with yourself!

About the Author:

Sarah is an established author who specialises in work productivity and how to effectively achieve your full potiential whilst at work. Looking into the psychology of how staff feel in the workplace Sarah is assessing whether business branded products such as promotional mugs and promotional pens make a difference to work flow.