How To Split Your Time Between Working From Home And The Office

As we move back towards a more normal working environment, there will be an inevitable shift in opinions towards the benefits and disadvantages of office work vs working from home. One thing that has become clear over the last year or so is that working from home is a much more viable option for a lot of people than was previously considered. In this blog, we have outlined the benefits of both office and home work, and propose the potential to strike a great balance between the two.

Office Work

Advantages
- One obvious benefit of office work is the improved access to colleagues throughout the day. From a productivity perspective, it is clear that sitting across a desk from someone can be an extremely easy and efficient way to communicate and discuss your work.
- From a wellbeing point of view, the ability to interact with other people throughout your day should not be overlooked. Office spaces can be a really fun and sociable environment, whereas when working from home you need to out in a little more effort to interact with friends and colleagues.
- For some, entering the office space can be a good trigger to switch your brain into gear for the day. Where at home you are surrounded by more potential distractions, the office can provide a space dedicated to improving your efficiency and productivity.

Disadvantages
- One clear disadvantage of the office is that a lot of people have to commute to work. For some, anything up to around 2 hours per day is spent travelling to and from the office. Imagine gaining an extra 2 hours a day from working from home!
- Traditional office environments are stereotypically soleless and can be demotivating. It is difficult to impose your personality on where you work from an aesthetic perspective, most people sit at a boring, white desk!
- The daily office routine is often quite monotonous and boring. It is much harder to take breaks and be active throughout the day when surrounded by colleagues. It is also difficult to add variety to your day – over one third of Britons have the same lunch every day!

Working From Home

Advantages
- Working from home allows you to work in your own space. Instead of turning up every day to a boring office, you can curate your workspace however you like! Also, feeling more comfortable can contribute massively to your productivity and mental well-being.
- You are also free to set your own routine. Office work is stuck in the classic 9-5 structure, working from home allows you to personalise your day to a much higher degree. Short walks or taking some time to be active throughout the day can have huge health benefits, both physically and mentally. Even having more freedom to cook lunch, rather than the usual meal deal, can provide some much-needed variety!
- In theory, saving time on the commute could allow you to have a far more productive day. Spend that time exercising, doing something you love, or even getting ahead on your emails for the day is a huge benefit of home working.

Disadvantages
- One clear disadvantage of homeworking is that social interaction is harder to find. While Zoom calls and shared calendars can go a long way to solving this problem from an efficiency point of view, there is no substitute from a good chat with your colleagues in the morning!
- When working from home, the responsibility is on you to make sure your productivity remains up to a good standard. It is undeniable that, when working from home, you are surrounded by far more distractions. It can take a lot of discipline to make sure you stick to your task rather than turning the TV on!

Our Solution At Avorium, we encourage you to work wherever you feel the most comfortable and productive. As with most things, we think a balance between office and remote working is probably ideal. Working in the office can provide a nice opportunity to catch up with colleagues, meet in person and maintain a great team spirit, whereas working from home is often more comfortable – not to mention a lovely change of scenery and time saved on the commute!