In the past, most people used to travel to their place of work. With increased use of computers, the internet and smartphones, more and more people are starting to work from home. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?

Although

people were expected to turn up at their workplaces for a fixed amount of time on a day-to-day basis traditionally,

this

culture is rapidly changing with the help of new technologies. While working from

home

allows both the employer and employee to save costs on certain aspects, it is

also

reducing the

work

-life balance of

staff

. With the advancement in computer technologies, fast WiFi connections and smart mobile phones, working from

home

has become a plausible option that provides cost-saving benefits to organisations and employees alike. Companies will no longer need to rent big office spaces to house their employees;

therefore

, reducing a huge sum of money in the operating cost.

Likewise

, white-collar

staff

who

work

from

home

will be able to save up on expenses

such

as the daily round trip to

work

and purchasing grooming items and services. I am an example of that myself. I have been asked to

work

from

home

and realised that I no longer need to spend money on my daily transport to and from the office.

This

is a major advantage of allowing

staff

to

work

from the convenience of

home

. Our

work

location being the same as our

home

does give us lesser separation between

work

and leisure. People usually end up not being able to shut down their laptops even after office hours due to the continuous emails and text messages on mobile phones.

This

affects the well-being of

staff

physically and mentally. My friend, who

also

works from

home

, shared that she is in distress as she finds herself giving lesser and lesser time to her family, even during her leave.

This

is one negative aspect of working from

home

. In conclusion,

although

working from

home

might be a better option for its cost-saving benefit, the organisations need to

also

consider the drawbacks that it could impose on their employees.