Remote Work Pitfalls

Work from Home Pitfalls

There are pitfalls to working from home that no one seems to be talking much about.  The focus seems to be on flexibility, independence, self-discipline and self-scheduling.  The people who find freedom working from home, the ability to run errands during the day and put in hours later into the evening to get their jobs done, on an as-needed basis.

On the other side are the people who lack the ability to focus at home because of constant distractions.  The ones who desperately need the presence of others to survive and be functional. The ones who need guidance, oversight, direction in order to perform their jobs at any level, let alone optimally.  The extroverts who are psychologically falling apart from loneliness.

Remote Work Nightmares

I don’t know what percentage of people there are who are failing at this whole remote work scenario, but I’m hearing more and more issues.  And just so you don’t think you are alone in your misery, here are just a few of the nightmares I’ve heard about.

• The woman whose three children are home and she has to constantly be guiding them to get their school work done. All day she’s doing this and all night she is working to catch up.  Great to have the “freedom” to do this, but at some point, she will collapse from exhaustion as it has been months since she’s had eight hours of sleep in a row.

• The man who was working in his attic throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall. However, now that it is 20 degrees outside and there is no heat there, I’m not sure what he’s going to do as that is the only place in his home where he can concentrate.  There are only so many extension cords you can run up into the hole in the ceiling before you are creating a fire hazard.

• The family who can’t afford a bigger house and both parents are working at the kitchen table along with their children trying to do home schooling and get their jobs done.

• The woman whose only space to work is her windowless, damp basement who was so depressed she was suicidal.

This working remotely situation is wonderful for some people, but please don’t feel like you are the only one who is struggling.  Because you are not.

Reach out to relatives, friends, your co-workers, your boss or human resources for help.  There are solutions for some of these problems, please don’t give up!