7 Reasons Why You Will Hate Work From Home (#7 Is About Loneliness)

Remote working is here to stay! Whether you like it not…

The COVID-19 pandemic resultant lockdowns has forced every company to adopt ‘Work From Home’ models. With the virus still making headlines, WFH is here to stay for a long time.

While there are positive impacts of WFH we can’t overlook the drawbacks. What are the drawbacks you say? Let’s find out shall we…

I. Interruptions

How many times has this happened to you when you are on an important zoom call and someone in your house calls out your name or suddenly starts fighting. This is embarrassing, awkward, disturbing and very distracting. 

It’s especially a challenge working from home if you have kids. They constantly demand attention and for their age can’t understand that mom or dad is busy.  When it comes to adults and older children in your household, GOBankingRates advises, “Establish ‘do not disturb’ hours that are interruption free.” 

II. Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)

When everyone else at your company is also working at home, you feel the urge to know the  goings on and conversations happening. If some of your colleagues are working in the office while you’re working at home, that feeling can be even more nagging. Research suggests that in that situation, people who work at home do risk damage to their careers.

Hence the best way to overcome this FOMO is to increase communication with your colleagues or boss. If you are wondering about the conversations and meetings that might be happening without your presence, just pick up the phone, call your colleague at office for a quick session of updates on all the important matters.

III. Over-Working

By not being at the office, you might feel that you are obligated to be at your employees or boss’ service 24 hours a day. This is especially hard for workaholics and entrepreneurs handling many people at once. Coupled with your workstation in your living room or bedroom, it may be hard to think of yourself as away from work.

For mental and physical health, performance and productivity, it’s important to take some time off work. You have to disconnect completely from work for a part of the day and every week. It’s important to dedicate a workspace in your house for your workstation. Make sure your clients, employees, employer or anyone else you work with know that there are some times when you can’t be available to answer work demands.

IV. Lack of Tech Support

You might be experiencing severe frustration if your home computer fails to connect to the server and you have to constantly call the concerned department or with software constantly hanging or poor wifi connection. 

The best way to solve this problem is to keep calm, figure out the problem and try to solve it yourself. Otherwise have a laptop as well as a desktop, or add a tablet that you can work on in a jiffy. Also have a  hotspot ready to go on your phone, or with a separate device, in case your internet connection fails.

V. Procrastination

Its easy to get to work done when working from an office, when you see others working as well. When working from home with distraction a few steps away and no one to keep a check on you, people might suffer from lack of focus, motivation and tend to procrastinate a lot.

VI. Not Leaving the House

With the government urging people to stay indoors, many people are taking advantage of this. With food, clothes delivery, movies and tv shows available at people’s fingertips, they are not leaving their place let alone house. 

However, not going outdoors or not getting enough sun exposure has many negative impacts on physical and mental health. It’s ideal to go for a walk everyday or just be outdoors for a while. Earlier we had covered DirectApply’s research on how people will look like 25 years from now if they continue working from home and keep up with their unhealthy habits.

VII. Loneliness

Believe it or not, your workplace is a big part of your social life. 

It’s important to make sure you stay in contact with your colleagues and not become isolated as this will down your morale, lead to depression and even shorten your life. 

It’s advised to meet a friend or colleague for a stroll or virtually. Socialize with your family members or household members, you might feel your spirits lifted. So make sure to take out time and make effort to keep up with the social interaction as this will enhance your productivity, mood and overall health