Work/Office: A Trio of Problems Working From Home Can Create

Simple Solutions To Enhance Your Company's Image-Chispa MagazineYou get up in the morning, your eyes bleary with sleep. You stumble into the shower, already thinking about the day’s work ahead and the commute to come. Freshly washed and then dressed, you head down the stairs for a cup of coffee. With your morning mug of wakefulness in hand, you set off on your commute… and it takes you 30 seconds.

It’s a story like the above that makes so many of us dream of working from home. The mere idea of not having to commute, make ourselves look presentable or deal with argumentative colleagues is an attractive one. The number of people choosing to work from home has been steadily climbing over the last decade; all keen to take advantage of all the ways it can improve your life.

Which it can—no one is going to argue about that. Working from home is massively beneficial, and it’s something you should try to see if it agrees with you. However, it has one major drawback: your home is also your office.

If you don’t indulge in home-based working, then you might be wondering why this is such an issue. Before you make the leap and change your schedule entirely, it’s worth going through some of the ways this complication can make life difficult. It’s not a big enough issue to make working from home infeasible, but it is something you need to be aware of.

  1. You Don’t Know When To Switch Off: Unless you religiously only work in a designated office, you have a new desk space in every room of the house. Your coffee table; your sofa – they can all become associated with work.That means you might be tempted to just do that bit of extra work at 11 pm at night. You’re never really free of the office, because you live in it. For some people that’s preferable – perhaps even an attraction—but others will struggle.
  1. It Can Mess Up Your Insurance: If you have buildings and contents insurance (that isn’t business-specific), choosing to work from home can invalidate any claim you have to make. This is especially true if you have any work-only related equipment that you might need to claim for.

    Your premiums are about to rocket, so bear that in mind and make some changes to your security. The way you secure a place of work is more demanding than your home – and your insurance premium will reflect this. You can mitigate some of the damage by installing alarms and security screen doors, but you have to be aware your premiums will still rise.

  1. No One Will Think You’re Working: No friend or family member would pop in to see you at a regular office, but you’d be surprised how many will do it when you work from home. You are suddenly faced with a choice: work so you can earn to pay the mortgage or appear rude to your loved ones. For some, there is a disconnect between you being home and also being busy—you’ll have to learn to be firm but fair.
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Mia Guerra

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine
Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.