The pros and cons of letting staff work from home

During the pandemic, our sofas, kitchen tables, and bedrooms became our offices. Now as lockdown measures ease and life returns to normal, you may be thinking about whether to continue letting your staff work from home.

There are of course pros and cons to allowing your staff to work from home, so it’s important to consider them all before making a decision. Luckily for you, we’ve got them all here for you to help.

Here are the pros and cons of letting staff work from home:

Pro: Cuts down costs

One of the largest and most obvious benefits will be a reduction in operational costs. By allowing your team to work from home, you can significantly reduce or completely remove the cost of having a workspace. This means savings on rent, overheads, and other expenses that you would normally incur when running an office.

If you plan to have a space, however small, make sure that you have the help of a facilities management company to maintain and secure your office.

Con: Staff isolation

Most people can agree that the social side of working in an office is great. This is one of the aspects of working life that is missed when your staff works from home. This can create feelings of isolation and disconnection amongst your team.

This means that if you allow your staff to work from home, you need to make extra efforts to ensure they feel connected and supported.

Pro: Work-life balance

A greater work-life balance is better for everyone. Working from home means your staff no longer lose time commuting to work, and can use this extra time for themselves. It also helps with other important things like childcare, looking after pets, and management of mental and physical health.

This balance will help your team to be more productive, which will only be good for your business.

Con: Risks to Cyber security

Cyber security is a growing concern for governments, businesses, and private citizens. When the location of your network and the devices connected to it are all in one place, securing them is an achievable task. When your employees are connected to multiple networks in different locations with varying levels of security, your company’s data is at greater risk.

Pro: Appealing to new talent

Today’s job market is more competitive than ever before, so you need to stand out to attract the top talent. The option to work from home is very attractive in today’s market and may help you to get the talent that you need when recruiting.