There are a lot of mixed views regarding the whole idea of working from home. I’ve been managing my own home based business for about five years now. Some people love the concept and think it’s the future of employment. Others hate it and swear that working in an office is far better than staying at home.
The fact is, a lot of people are now setting up businesses and choosing to manage them from home. As such, there must be plenty of arguments for managing a business from home, or we wouldn’t see so many people opt for it. So, what we’re going to do today is take a look at some of the pros and cons, the ups and downs, of managing a business from home. Why do some people love it? Why do others hate it? Both of these questions will be answered in the following points:
The Ups & Downs Of Managing A Business From Home
It’s always best to start off with the negatives and get them out of the way first. So, right off the bat, there are some concerns a lot of entrepreneurs have with the idea of running their company from home. Many of these concerns are quite serious, while others are less so.
Employee Management
Perhaps the biggest concern is how you will manage a roster of employees from home. Just because you work from home, that doesn’t mean all your employees have to. You could have an office somewhere with a team of staff all working throughout the week. How on earth can you properly manage them if you’re at home?
Many people believe that working in the office with your team is the most effective way of managing them. They’ll be right there when you need them, and you can keep an eye on everyone to ensure they’re all turning up on time, not leaving early, and getting on with their work. If you’re at home, it stands to reason that they could underperform or be lazy as they know the big boss isn’t close by.
Advocates of managing a home based business will tell you there are ways around this. You might be at home, but you could employ office managers to effectively play the role of the boss in the office, and keep an eye on everyone while communicating with you. Then, there’s the option of getting outside human resources help too. A company like Ellis Whittam has HR and employment services for businesses to hire. With external HR you can keep tabs on your staff and ensure they’re managed correctly. So, there are ways around this problem, but some still think working in an office is the best way to go about it.
Loneliness
It may sound a bit trivial, but loneliness can be a big issue for someone trying to work from home. If you’re on your own all day trying to run a company, then you might get sick of the loneliness, and it drives you mad leading you to be unproductive.
Likewise, there’s a practical disadvantage to loneliness too. It means you’re not in an office right next to other offices, which means you miss out on so many potential networking opportunities. You could share an office building with a company that might be a huge ally for your business. But, you won’t have the chance to network and chat with the owner as you’re in your home all on your own.
Unprofessional Setting
Another issue with running a business from home is that you’re not in a professional setting. So, if you have a big meeting coming up with a client, you can’t exactly invite them to your home. Instead, you’d have to go and meet them in a more professional setting. Now, this could be their office, which means you have to go to the extra effort of traveling to see them.
Alternatively, if you worked in a professional office, then you have a professional setting for them to visit you. It means you can invite people to your place of work whenever they need to speak to you about business issues. You can’t do this when you work from home as it doesn’t make you seem that professional.
As you can see, there are a fair few issues with working from home and trying to run a business this way. So, it’s understandable why some people have their doubts. However, there are still plenty of positives with managing a business from home.
More Personal Space
One of the biggest pros of running a business from home is that you have more personal space. You’re free from everyone else, which gives your brain more room to relax and think about things more freely. Sure, some people can get lonely, but this type of environment is very good for a lot of business owners.
If you can handle being on your own, then you’ll love working from home and find yourself way more productive than if you were in an office.
Far More Flexibility
Working from home gives you the chance to be more flexible with your work schedule. You get to choose when you work and when you don’t work. If you’re in an office, then you have a responsibility to work on the same schedule as everyone else. It’s bad for team morale if your employees are in the office working and they see you walk in late and do hardly any work then leave early.
But, at home, they won’t see your schedule, they won’t see you work, you’re doing everything behind the scenes. This gives you the ability to work when you’re at your most productive. For some people, this could be in the dead of night. For others, it might be in the early hours of the morning. No matter what, you get to choose when you work.
The simple fact is, there are ups and downs when managing a business from home. It’s an idea that suits some people better than others. In general, if you’re happy working alone and have all the tools available to help you manage your staff and business from home, then go for it. The greater flexibility and freedom will work in your favor and help you be a better boss.
Ultimately, my home based business works for me, but not without some low points.
