At first, you may see only the advantages of a remote job: no commute, no more office fridge, an easier dress code. But after a time, you’ll figure out there are downsides to working remotely.
1. It can be hard to disconnect when you’re working at home
You might think remote work is the ticket to work-life balance. After all, you have more flexibility to take care of home-related responsibilities on breaks. You aren’t chit-chatting around the water cooler; instead, you’re unloading the dishwasher. Surely this will free up your non-work time, right? Not so fast.
Studies show remote workers have a more difficult time disconnecting after work hours. A 2023 Buffer study found that while 98% of those surveyed wanted to continue some form of remote work for the rest of their careers, 22% reported having difficulty unplugging from work—with 81% checking email outside of work hours.
One reason disconnecting from remote work is so difficult is that you lack the natural boundaries provided by a commute. You aren’t packing up your workspace and moving to another location. Depending on the size of your home, your transition might simply be turning on the TV or opening a new tab on your browser. It takes enhanced self-discipline to create some space between your home and work lives when you’re working from home. One idea is to try starting and ending your day with some physical activity in place of a trip home.
2. You’re responsible for setting up your own office environment
When you’re stuck in a cubicle, it might be unbelievable to think you would ever miss the “amenities” of an office. But at home, you’re responsible for setting up your own office, which means everything from ensuring your workspace is ergonomically sound to buying your own coffee.
If your work-from-home space is makeshift or cramped, you may have difficulty concentrating, or you could find yourself dealing with aches and complaints from repetitive stress injuries. Many companies do not offer remote or hybrid employees any sort of reimbursement or stipend for setting up a workstation. But even if it’s at your own expense, your experience will significantly improve if you invest in a supportive work chair, proper lighting, and other tools for healthy work. You’ll also need to ensure you have a reliable and secure home internet connection.
3. Interpersonal relationships are just different over a computer
The findings of a 2021 study of 61,000 Microsoft employees published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour may ring true if you’ve been working remotely for some time:
- Overall communication decreased, with collaboration networks becoming less interconnected and more siloed. Remote workers were less likely to form new connections and spent about 25% less time collaborating with colleagues.
- Remote workers tended to rely on asynchronous forms of communication (email and instant messaging platforms) instead of phone conversations and video meetings.
- Time spent in meetings decreased by 5% among remote workers, which researchers said suggested the increased number of meetings early in the pandemic was related more to dealing with current events than to remote work itself.
Maintaining successful communications with colleagues will require extra effort on your part. Instead of defaulting to a chat message or email, you’ll need to actively choose and suggest phone conversations or video meetings.
4. You may feel isolated, and this can affect your mental health
Recent studies are showing the effects of isolation on remote workers and their association with increased risk of anxiety and depression. An RSM US Middle Market Business Index (MMBI) report released in early 2023 found that 64% of executives identified remote work-related employee mental health challenges as a major or minor issue, compared with 55% a year earlier. Nearly three-quarters of executives reported employees were feeling isolated.
If your remote work situation has left you feeling isolated, you may wish to move to a hybrid arrangement or perhaps attend some professional networking events. If the effects of isolation become too great, be sure to investigate potential resources available to you, such as an employee assistance program (EAP).
Once the honeymoon period is over, no job or work situation is perfect—and achieving career satisfaction is learning what’s important to make you feel fulfilled and taking ownership of that. No one else is going to look out for you.
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