8 Common Misconceptions People Have About Working From Home

When you work in an office, you can usually step away from a physical space and turn off your “work brain” as soon as you leave. But while working from home, you’re always available to both work and family. You still have actual work to do, so you don’t always have the freedom to drop everything to take care of family stuff. At the same time, you have certain commitments to the people who live with you. Boundaries are definitely harder to maintain when someone can knock on your door at any time to ask you to make them lunch. 

When working from home, you definitely have more flexibility in your schedule, but chances are you still work with a team. This usually means that sticking to “normal working hours” is necessary to keep everyone on the same page with meetings, phone calls, and deadlines. This is especially true if you work with customers or clients who will have schedules too.

Another common myth is that working from home is easy—but that’s just not true. It can be easier than working in a stressful office. However, you’ll still need to do the same amount of work. Not only that, you’re never far from your workspace, meaning that you can be drawn back to it very easily. Working can become as simple as opening up your laptop, which can make it challenging to know when the workday truly ends.

For lots of people, a busy office environment livens up the day. But working from home isn’t boring—unless you let it be. When you’re at home, you’re in charge of everything, from where you set up your office to who you talk to. And, if things get dull, you can always switch it up by taking a 10-minute yoga break or take the dog for a short walk to get your mind revved up again.

While it’s true that the isolation of working from home can be challenging (especially if you live alone), there’s no reason that you shouldn’t have as much social interaction as you would otherwise have. You can always chat with your co-workers, and have regular face-to-face meetings through programs like Google Hangouts and Zoom.

One of the most prevalent misconceptions about working from home is that you won’t be as committed or as focused at your work if you’re not in the office. However, for lots of people (though perhaps not all), work output is higher when you’re at home. Without a commute, distractions, and unnecessary meetings you can get the time and space to think. Not to mention the added privacy.

Another common misconception about working from home is that it’s relatively low stress. Sure, you have more freedom and flexibility than a traditional 9–5 workplace, but you’ll also have lots of other things to deal with, such as family members, cooking, getting groceries, doing errands. It’s much easier to get side-tracked—so you might find yourself working long hours more often than you want to meet deadlines.

People always think since you work from home you have lots and lots of free time. Sure, your time is flexible but that doesn’t mean it’s free. While you have the space to take breaks and deal with personal stuff, you still have a certain amount of work to finish, virtual meetings to attend, and other commitments. 

Now That These Work From Home Myths Are Busted, What’s Next?

The reality of working from home isn’t quite as glamorous as it’s made out to be, as you can see with these remote work misconceptions. Sure, you can work in your PJs, and not having people looking over your shoulder every second can be liberating. But that doesn’t mean it’s all rainbows and unicorns. The truth is, working from home can be great, as long as you understand all the myths and misconceptions about it.