Working from home has many undeniable advantages, but, unfortunately, there is also a “dark side”. Reconciling remote work with family life can be quite difficult.
Working with a child at home – magical moments
Thanks to the opportunity to work at home, nothing will pass by – the most important moments, such as the first words and steps of the child, will happen before your eyes. By being around, you contribute to the development of the child, help discover a new world and build a deep emotional connection. Even if you hire a nanny, there is always a moment to check if everything is in order. Employment at home excludes the additional cost of gasoline, lunch at a cafe, smart clothes for the office and office supplies. The work can be finished at any time, as well as return to it. A flexible schedule allows you to pay attention to the child if he is ill and you do not need to report to your superiors or take sick leave. In any situation, you can leave for a while, and continue your work activities in the evening or at night.
The other side of working from home
Close relatives and friends often believe that working at home has nothing to do with working in production. Lack of understanding in this matter makes you feel like an underestimated employee. Be prepared for people to judge you by pointing out that you drink a lot of coffee and don’t get too tired. This is just the beginning. There are circumstances when the child does not want to sleep, you need to urgently go somewhere or receive guests. There is a problem with the timeliness of the execution of tasks, duties accumulate like a snowball, leading to another problem – fatigue. There is a risk that the work will stretch for all 24 hours. You will constantly look for free time for work, worrying about job responsibilities.
The separation of private life from professional life is lost, and as a result, fatigue with a feeling of disappointment is acutely felt. To correct the situation, only good organization and self-discipline will help. If you have coped with these shortcomings, you will have to deal with one more, but, the last one on the list. Many mothers give up after a while of working at home, returning to the traditional way of earning money from seemingly ideal conditions for them. The most common reason is the monotony of life and isolation from the outside world, or rather, the lack of contact with adults.
If you are a sociable and energetic person, you are unlikely to enjoy working from home, weigh the pros and cons well before deciding on this. In the case when you have enough conversations with close relatives, employment in a cozy nest may suit you perfectly.