To mark National Work from Home Day IT PRO is working from home and asked in our biweekly newsletter what our readers think about flexible working.
It seems IT pros like the potential benefits of working from home, but have a balanced view of the downsides, too.
Peter summed up the many benefits of working from home. "Imagine an office with 1000 employees. If they all worked from home that would be 1000 extra houses to light and heat as opposed to a single office. If this means people spend less time in their cars then the equation may balance, but if these people were users of public transport then the argument in favour of home working would become a little more contentious!"
Mark noted that it's not just about working from home, but anywhere. "Having the ability to work anywhere greatly improves our flexibility and allows us to provide a much broader range of services than might otherwise be expected. It also means that if you are visiting clients, say in the Middle East, you don't have to go to the office first to get to your documents and e-mails."
Ian wants to work from home, but management will never let him, telling him that "it would be impossible to set up and monitor, which, as we all know is nonsense. He added: "What they really mean is that they would have to trust the workforce to perform their duties without constant supervision; basically, they do not trust the staff that they themselves have employed and without staff in the office they would be redundant, or so they think."
While Andrew enjoys the benefits of working from home and appreciates the tech advancements that lets him collaborate with a coworker in another country, he noted that he misses having a short journey to work. "Time to leave my daughter's giggles behind and focus on the day."
Mike wrote in to say that there are definite upsides to working from home especially as it lets him live on the lovely Isle of Wight. But he noted there are some downsides, such as tending to work longer house, always being on call, and being socially isolated, all while clients and bosses think you're not working.
But he added: "On balance, anything is better than commuting. I think that everyone who can work from home should be allowed to whenever possible."
Click here to read all about working from home - the downsides as well as the benefits, and the tech you need to make it work.
