What are the pros and cons of working from home rather than going into an office downtown?
There are both advantages and disadvantages from working from home, and they apply differently to different people depending on the person's personality, family situation, location, and job description. Some key advantages are the ability to develop closer personal relationships with team members, have the opportunity for more spontaneous casual conversations, and experience more productive meetings because of the ability to read people's body language and to see presentation materials more clearly. Many people will experience better mental health by going into the office and establishing a sense of greater connection with team members. In addition, certain employees will take advantage of remote work to use work time to engage in personal activities rather than real work, to the detriment of the employer. Some disadvantages of going into the office include the time inefficiency from commuting, the cost of commuting, the time inefficiency that occurs from experiencing all the social chatting that occurs in the office, and the hassle of having to schedule conference rooms. Commuting also contributes to global warming through the greater use of fossil fuels. On balance, whether remote work makes sense is a complex question, and the answer will be unique for every employee and employer depending on the circumstances.