Halton Lawyer | CONS – WORKING FROM HOME
Is working from home a good idea?
My previous posts about this topic can be found here:
Burlington Lawyer | PROS – WORKING FROM HOME
Halton Lawyer | CONS – WORKING FROM HOME
I remember working at a law firm where some clerks had the option of working from home. There use to be one particular clerk who just a few minutes prior to 9 would send out a mass email advising, "I am working from home."
It turns out she wasn't doing much.
I previously discussed the positive aspects about working from home. Now I would like to discuss the cons.
One of the most significant issues in working from home is tracking employee productivity.
Working from home
Some suggest this is a managerial issue. In that, a good manager will be able to identify slackers and or motivate employee productivity.
I am always amazed when I see so many folks wandering around on a weekday. I often think to myself, whether these people have jobs. So often I find out, they work from home.
Should an employer simply be prepared for the fact that their employee might be participating in a conference call while sitting at the park watching their kids play on the swings? When contacting an employee via email or phone should there be an instantaneous response?
What about the employee that is working from home who ends up taking on another job? Or in some situations pursuing another business venture? What about an employee who is working from home who decides to take an on-line or in person course?
There is also the consideration of liability in that employees will no longer be in the workspace.
Again, I view the above concerns as performance issues. What about the overall social experience? Or does it even matter?
For example, an in-person meeting still means a lot depending on the subject and content of the meeting. Also, is there something to be said about knowing your fellow co-workers and employees on a more personal level? Certainly, if more are working from home there is a likelihood that people won’t get to know each other as well.
Many of us tend to make friends at work. This is through the social experience of seeing one another daily. Sharing coffee and lunch breaks and even commuting together. As a result, we swap personal stories, learn about tradition and each other’s foibles. All of this contributes to team building and relationships between co-workers.
Working from home has the potential to eliminate some of that interaction.
I am sure there are other cons to working from home. However, overall the way I see it the positive aspects of working from home seem to really outweigh the cons.
Let’s not forget effective management and technology can assist in monitoring employee behaviour. I think it also really comes down to also considering whether or not it matters when and where an employee does their work as long as it’s being done.
If you have any employment law questions please call to speak with a Burlington employment lawyer.
PH: 416-505-4901
901 Guelph Line, Burlington, ON
Find a lawyer in Burlington | Find a lawyer in Halton | Find a lawyer in Oakville | Employment Law | Employment Lawyer
anytime for a free consultation