Work From Home Expectations vs Reality

“You work from home!? Wow! I bet you sleep in and wake up whenever you want to! I’d love that. I’d probably work a couple hours a day and lollygag the rest.”

I’m already giggling as I type this because there are so many “idealistic” perspectives about what it looks like to work from home. Some funny and some actually frustrating because there have been more than a few occasions where an uninformed person has accused me of hanging out on the couch all day.

But I get it; for those whom working from home isn’t a reality, it can seem like a surreal situation that allows you to do whatever you like, whenever you like. Please, allow me to rundown the REALITY of working from home.

1) Waking up in the morning

Expectation: There’s no alarm, no set time to wake up, and no rush to begin anything. Is it the middle of the week or Saturday? Who knows and who cares! Working remotely allows me to wake up when I’m good and ready. And even then, I’m not pressed for time because I work from home. What’s the rush

FALSE!

Reality: My alarm goes off at 6:30am. I’m still tired because I was working late, but I gotta get up because I have to send some emails before my meeting at 9am. Then, I have several other things on my work to-do list – some from the day before.

2) Working

Expectation: When you work from home, you don’t have anyone watching over your shoulder. So, you can work a little, take a break, and then pick back up where you left off. It’s no biggie because no one is around. Who’s gonna check me?!

FALSE!!

Reality: Even in remote jobs that allow you to make your own schedule, you’re still required to produce and meet deadlines. In my experience, I’ve found remote work requires more work than a traditional job because you’re actually working during the times you’re scheduled. There’s no water cooler to get caught up in chit-chat at or an impromptu birthday celebration with cake in the breakroom – which can easily turn an 8-hour work day into 6 hours of actual work. An 8-hour shift remotely is a pure 8 hours of work; otherwise, you’ll be penalized for not meeting your schedule requirements, and that can get you terminated.

3) Burnout

Expectation: When you work from home, there’s no reason to ever experience work burnout. You don’t have to fight traffic, you don’t have to bother getting dressed in the morning, and you don’t have anywhere you have to be. Remote workers have too many perks to ever experience burnout.

FALSE!!!

Reality: Burn out can happen no matter what type of job you have. Yes, there are many benefits to working remotely that make it more convenient than a traditional job. But, remember reality #2 when I mentioned remote workers are actually more productive? Well, it’s this reason, I believe, that contributes to work from home burn out. Not to mention, the lack of scenery and routine schedules can be uninspiring, especially during the winter time when the views out the window are cold and gray. To make matters worse, it can be difficult getting support for remote work burnout because 1) it’s not that popular of a topic and 2) most people wouldn’t understand because it’s difficult to get it if you’ve never worked from home.

There are certainly other expectations vs realities when it comes to working from home, but these are the main three I felt worth discussing. Now, I’m interested in hearing from my fellow remote workers what are some expectations maybe you or others have had and the actual reality. Let me know in the comment section!

Talk soon,
Delilah 💚💻

2 thoughts on “Work From Home Expectations vs Reality

  1. Tony Dubois says:

    Hello Delilah… My name is Tony Dubois and I love video, blog, and website. There’s just so much positive energy. You keep me inspired and uplifted. I am interested in working from home as well in either entry-level typing, transcription, data entry, etc. but my typing is rusty at 20-25 wpm. I have tried typing faster but still find it challenging. I still need to find some work during this pandemic. Please help! I don’t mind taking longer to complete a typing or transcription job. But, most companies want 50+ wpm. I do have some customer service on phones and in person. But, I’m more interested in specifically typing and transcription related duties. Surely, there must be companies out there that would be willing to accept lesser wpm or be patient with trainees who are dedicated to take longer to complete a typing or transcription task while increasing their limited typing or transcription exposure and experience. Do you know of any? Your assistance and knowledge in this regard is greatly appreciated.

  2. Daryle Mullins says:

    I don’t gave any experience. Call centers seem interesting, but lack the phone skills as of now. I’m from va an my slang with words need some work lol I need something a little bit better then Clickworker or Rapidworkers, I kinda like rapid workers, just can’t find enough work on their, hope maybe it will help with data entry jobs. just done the fantasy hands test, not sure if the last part of the test flunks me, But you have any ideas for me on work at home jobs that are just a little better then thos I mentioned an kinda of a great learning experience.

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