Many organisations are still adjusting with working remotely.  Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, companies are still required to have most of their workers work from home in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Different reports suggest that approximately half employees typically work from home at least once a week and a third work remote jobs full-time. For employees and employers this is a major adjustment.

According to Eunice Utamuriza, a liaison officer, home offices have come with some bit of challenges, however, employees are on the other hand enjoying some perks as well.

She notes that one of the aspects that improved with working from home is the increased productivity.

When in office, managers can easily engage with their employees. Net photo.

"There is less interruption from fellow workers, and also, because meetings are now mostly held online, these take little time compared to how it was with physical meetings. It is such factors, among others such as commuting to and from work, that used to affect employee productivity,” she says.

According to Nextiva.com, More than 14 million people spend an hour or more traveling to work.

That’s a lot of time you can save by becoming a telecommuter, writes the website’s marketing manager Jeremy Boudinet.

"Telecommuting is another way to say working remotely or from home by making full use of the internet, email, and phone. The bottom line is people hate commuting,” he says.

Nonetheless, some people are still hung on the way things were done. Some folks enjoy waking up early, getting ready, and having the separation of home and the office. This is why many folks who work remotely still opt to go to a coffee shop or a co-working space.

Work-life balance continues to surge on the importance meter for modern-day employees. Boudinet decries that companies which don’t recognise this are missing a huge opportunity to adopt work from home strategies that benefit their workforce.

In regards to supervision, Utamuriza adds that when working from an office, supervisors easily follow up on their team members which makes it easy with management.

"When in office, managers can easily engage with their employees with the progress on work which is not as easy when they are working from home.  This has posed great challenges with managing a remote workforce.”

Another compelling advantage of working from home however, is the ability to work anywhere. Employees don’t even need a laptop. With a full-featured business phone app, employees can make and receive calls, attend conference calls, message colleagues, and stay online using their iPhone or Android.

Didier Mutijima, a brand manager, conversely notes that with this, employees who lack self-discipline can find it hard to stay focused.

"When working from home, you have to put more effort into staying focused and being motivated. 

For the most part, when working from an office, it is likely that an employee has a set schedule. However, when it comes to working from home, it’s a little different.

"You don’t have a particular time to start or end work, lunch or tea breaks can happen when you choose as an employee. This flexibility can indeed be advantageous for those who are self-motivated but a downside for those who aren’t, this can lead to a drop in productivity and service delivery.”

Financial costs

The differences from working from home versus working at an office can be seen when it comes to finances, according to experts.

They argue that when working at an office, you pay for the costs of commuting, such as public transit, gas, or maintenance expenses. If you’re driving, you might also have to pay for parking. You likely also pick up a coffee or buy lunch during the day. All of these expenses add up.

"When you work from home, there are tons of financial perks. You don’t have to worry about sitting in traffic, commuting expenses, and you won’t be tempted to go out after work and spend money on happy hours and eating out,” Boudinet highlights.

In contrast however, working from home has its own costs. In addition to broadband internet costs, employees need to think about their energy costs like electricity. They may also carry "start-up” costs for telecommuting technology burdened by employers.