The work from home shift has been taking the country by storm for several years and the number of individuals choosing to work from a home office is on the rise. Though there are definite benefits to doing your professional work from under the same roof where you reside, there are numerous drawbacks as well. Here are 5 reasons to reconsider having a home office:
1. Lack of Human Connection
Owning your own business can be a very lonely affair and even more so if you are working solo from home. Working from home often means spending all day alone in the confines of your bedroom or office. Unlike a normal office, work from home professionals get little to no social interaction throughout the course of the day. Studies have shown that those who spend day after day isolated from others are prime candidates for depression, loneliness and decreased motivation. Furthermore, they won’t have people to bounce ideas off, to collaborate with or to hold them accountable.
2. Access to Resources
Home office gear and equipment can come in many shapes and sizes, but those who are working from home find their ability to buy state-of-the-art equipment limited by shortage of space and lack of funds. Many office buildings, or even co-working centers, offer the option of the shared use of high-quality copiers, faxes, high-speed Internet and even things like PowerPoint Projectors without having to actually shell out the cash to buy them yourself. Access to quality resources, or joint use of these time-saving options, saves busy entrepreneurs time and money in the long run.
3. Safety and Privacy
Work-at-home pros are realizing now more than ever that the option to open their personal spaces (their homes) to new clients or service providers is not only unprofessional, it can be downright unsafe. We spend years advising our children to never open the door to a stranger, yet many work-from-home entrepreneurs do just that on a daily basis. Professional office buildings usually have built-in security systems, security code entry features and safeguards in place so workers can work safely any time of the day or night and do so in a private setting.
4. The Time and Space to Think
A work at home mompreneur once shared that the best part of working from home was that her family was always around. She also revealed that the worst part of working from home was… that her family was always around. It’s no secret that some professionals simply work better in a quiet and comfortable environment. The difference between a productive work system (one that you might experience while working from a day office) and an unproductive one (attempting to work from home) is enormous. Someone with a goal of high productivity can easily get more done in one or two hours in the right setting. Many people can achieve a tremendous amount of work if they have the time and space to think, work, create and brainstorm. In the right environment, productivity makes a big difference in the overall function of our businesses and many times it can mean the difference between business growth and business stagnation.
“I’ve conducted business both ways; with a home office and via an office in a professional office building,” revealed business owner and mompreneur Rebecca Flansburg. “There are huge advantages to having a more professional setting to conduct business, interview clients and meet with service providers outside of the home. Working from home is wonderful, but very distracting. Knowing your family is on site, or that there is a pile of laundry calling your name, can be counterproductive. I find I get far more work done when I am not under my own roof and being distracted by the details of my everyday life.”
5. Room to Grow
Your business is booming and you are ready to add more staff to your growing company. But this poses a problem since there is no more room in your home office and putting a new staff member in the laundry room is just not an option! Investing in a professional office has many benefits and one is the ability to grow and add team members without impeding on your personal life or space.
Many small business owners and solo entrepreneurs face a credibility challenge when opting to work from home. When potential clients come to an office, only to discover it is in a home in a residential neighborhood, like it or not that business may lose credibility with that client. People often prefer working with companies that project the appearance of professionalism via a day office rather than a solo entrepreneur trying to make the best of a home office.
In reality, it’s okay to be small, but in many industries it’s important to look big. Use the positive edge that having a day office offers to help form the brand image that will help your business move forward and grow. If you are a current work-from-home entrepreneur looking to make the shift to a day office, Your Office Ballantyne wants to help you reach your goal. For a limited time we are offering business owners their first two months of rent free! Click here to learn more about Your Office Ballantyne, and this great business-building deal!Â
