Remote vs Onsite: Pros and Cons
(Originally posted on LinkedIn)
With the market trending to more remote time for employees, we've been curious to compare what the upsides and downsides are to working onsite versus remote from home. We did a little digging and found some interesting finds!
Remote Pros:
No commute time - which also saves you money on gas or the metro! Oh and much less road rage.
You get to stay cozy - no need to battle the elements, stay home like bananas in pajamas!
You get to create a custom work environment - work from bed, your office, a desk, kitchen table, wherever is most convenient (because if you are anything like me, snacking in the kitchen is my fave). OR work from your favorite coffee shop, your best friend's house or anywhere with speedy WIFI.
Laundry - because let's be honest, this is the worst chore and you can do it on your lunch break (saving you time on the weekends)!
Ability to cook your meals and stay healthy - this keeps you from any last-minute unhealthy drive-through options! There are a gazillion healthy meal delivery services.
Your own bathroom - need I say more?
Remote Cons:
Distractions - you'd think being in an office is distracting, but being at home you may have children/pets, Amazon delivery bells going off, that oh so convenient lunchtime pile of laundry staring at you, dishes in the sink to clean, you need to buy your mom a birthday gift so you start browsing "Earth Wind and Fire concert tickets", remembering there's a new episode of The Bachelor to watch. These can be BIG distractions!
Staying disciplined - the order in which you do things at home is almost never the order in which you do things at work. With distractions added in, it can be hard to time block and stick to it!
Can lack a sense of community and culture - when you work from home it can be hard to translate that sense of community and culture that being physically present with your team can bring!
Food delivery - if you are a stress eater, or did not grocery shop or prepare for meals during the week it can be REALLY tempting to Postmates some Taco Bell.
Onsite Pros:
Limited distractions - you may have a chatty Kathy coworker, some fun games down the hall or a vending machine to stand in front of but in reality, you're much less tempted in the workplace!
No need to wait (long) - Sometimes a sense of urgency is necessary. Typically if you're waiting for an answer from a boss or coworker, you can just walk straight up to them to get the answer faster.
Team-oriented environment and culture - this may be the biggest reason. There's nothing like working on a team, collaborating and bouncing ideas off of each other. This creates energy in your workflow. If you're working for a culture-focused company this is a huge part of making sure things stay positive, collaborative, exciting and fun. Teamwork makes the dream work!
Time management - if you are not very disciplined, you're more likely to stick to your routine and time blocking while working in an office amongst coworkers.
Onsite Cons:
Commuting into work - money spent on gas, parking or metro, more time traveling (sometimes 1-3 hours round trip per day) which means less time for your morning routine or the ability to start work early.
Less-than-ideal working space - most Americans work in your standard office. Limited windows, cubicles, unflattering neon lighting. This type of environment can be pretty demotivating and can slow productivity.
So, what's best? Well, we've found that being onsite AND being remote is ideal. With the increase of efficiency with technology, having a job that is a blend of onsite with some remote time is where we are seeing the market trending!