Essay Sample: Disadvantages of Working at Home in Pandemic

COVID-19, the global pandemic, has left a huge section of the workforce unable to go to work to slow the virus's spread, and even though the majority of people have never worked from home, many have had to adjust. Although the challenges of working from home outweigh its benefits, many people feel that it allows employers to have less in-person contact with other employers and improve productivity. However, working from home may be challenging due to a lack of equipment, bad network connections and it can generate unwelcome distractions.

To begin with, employees may lack the necessary tools to work from home. Many people did not have enough time to prepare for the shift to working from home because of the present pandemic. Some workers, for example, may not have a desktop/laptop or printers/copiers, and obtaining these items will be extremely costly. “Now, people have had to cobble together a workspace from what they’ve already got. They’re probably sitting on chairs that don’t adjust or don’t have back and neck support” (Chambers, 2020). Furthermore, to operate from home, a good internet connection is needed. A poor broadband connection may disrupt online business meetings and degrade video quality. To resolve this, many employees have had to upgrade their broadband connections to a faster but more costly version. However, not everyone can afford such advantages, making working from home far more challenging.

Second, working from home can provide plenty of unwelcome distractions. Working near family and friends may sound appealing, but there is no denying their potential to divert attention away from work. For example, children, household duties, tending to plants/pets, or loud noises in the background can all provide distractions, making it difficult to focus and complete work, thus diminishing worker productivity. According to a  2021 survey of 2,000 US hiring and HR managers by CareerBuilder, “The top distraction culprits included smartphones (55%), the internet (41%), gossip (37%), social media (37%), smoking or snack breaks (27%), email (26%), meetings, (24%), and noisy environments(20%)”. (Pettit, 2022).

Nonetheless, many people think that working from home allows employees to have a less in-person connection with coworkers and function from the comfort of their own homes. However, limiting your interactions with the outside world might be bad for your mental health. This is because less interaction may leave you feeling lonely and alone, reducing your capacity to perform well in the long term. A study done by the World Health Organization in 2020 showed that 75% of employees globally saw an increase in stress and anxiety, 10% reported feeling unhappy, depressed, and unable to function, and 15% mentioned additional concerns. Furthermore working from home can also contribute to laziness and other health issues, such as obesity, owing to a lack of mobility. Sam says that “you're encouraged to get up and walk around at work, but now that I'm at home by myself, I don't get up unless I'm hungry or something.” (2021).

In conclusion the challenges of working from home outweigh its benefits. Although many people believe that working from home allows individuals to have less in-person interactions with coworkers and work from the comfort of their own homes, I believe it has a strong influence on mental and physical health. It also provides unwelcome distractions, making it harder to concentrate, and a lack of adequate equipment and a bad broadband connection can make working from home seem more difficult than it is worth.