The Pros and Cons of Remote and Part-Time Jobs

Working full time is not an option for many – be it parents, a caregiver, housewives, students, and others. For such candidates, part-time gigs or a remote job is a life-saver!

Working remotely and/or part-time is favourable since it reduces the commute. However, it could be troublesome for others, especially when there’s a blurred boundary between work-life and personal lives. Something that was rare is now quickly becoming a defining feature of the future of work. If you are considering to peruse a contract to hire job or go remote completely, these pros and cons deserve your attention:

The Pros

Better Work-Life Balance

Whether it’s a remote job or part-time offer, it allows you to create your own schedule, and spend more time with friends and family. You are free to create a schedule that addresses your preferences. This flexible schedule gives you time to take care of your personal needs and be happier than ever! So don’t worry about cancelling plans because of your work schedule.

Improved Health

It’s hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle when work keeps you occupied. For breakfast, you could be having a doughnut and Starbucks coffee. And for lunch, you may be grabbing whatever’s available from the nearest restaurant. Dinner might also include take-out food.

While working from home, it’s a lot easier to maintain a healthy diet. It also leaves you more time to create a workout schedule during your lunch break. That was all about physical health. A remote job allows you from being a burnout, hence contributing to your mental wellbeing.

In short, you will be happy and healthier, both emotionally and physically.

No Commute

Who doesn’t hate the commute, especially if it takes more than 30 minutes to get to your workplace? This means losing hours every day getting to work and back. Typically, we have to use hours from our personal time to get to work. This means you will be missing out on hobbies, a healthy sleep schedule, and time with friends and family.

This problem is automatically solved when you’re working from home. There is no need to get up early and get ready for work or worry about traffic.

Better Productivity

With a flexible work schedule comes more productivity. Whether you are a morning person, an afternoon person, or a night owl, you can choose work hours based on your productivity. In a WFH environment, employers want their team to do their best regardless of when they do it.

The Cons

Distractions

It’s great to work remotely at your own schedule, but the distractions at home can slow you down. No doubt offices have distractions too, but it can be worse when you are on your own and lack the self-discipline to set up a work routine.

Sure you don’t have annoying and chatty co-workers to distract you, but certain types of distractions at home can be pretty annoying too. For instance, your kids. They might not understand that certain hours of the day are for work only. You might have to arrange for someone to take care of them while you are busying working.

Dependence on Technology

It’s amazing how technology has facilitated us to continue working from home. It has removed geographical barriers. As much of a blessing it is, it can affect productivity. Hardware/software issues, slow Internet connection, blackouts, etc. are some of the common problems that disrupt work schedules. Failures like these can be best tackled in workplaces. IT support teams are available right away to resolve issues. There’s usually a power backup, and Internet issues hardly occur.

Also, in the office, tech failure is everyone’s problem. When you are at home, if a piece of technology gives up, you’re responsible to get it fixed. This could mean the loss of work hours as well as productivity.

Less Collaboration

When working remotely, there is generally less collaboration. Because of this, communication gaps arise, which means you might have to do a task twice. Depending on the nature of the job, collaboration can sometimes help achieve work goals more effectively. It can be fun as well. Such an atmosphere is hard to maintain at home. Let’s say your company makes it mandatory to attend video calls once a week to collaborate and communicate, these virtual get-together can sometimes be a real waste of time. It’s never the same as face-to-face conversations.

Summing Up

Just like there are two sides to a coin, there are two sides to remote and part-time jobs. It’s expected that by 2025, 70% of the workforce will go remote. I am already in touch with a marketing staffing agency to help me find a remote job!

Remote work practice has accepted by many giant organizations already. It’s best to start navigating through the pros and cons of this new work norm so that you’re prepared for the future.