In the present, an increasing amount of people prefer home office work instead of going to the office.
Today, there is an increasing number of workers that choose working from home rather than going to their company building. This is believed to have the advantages that individuals do not have to spend hours commuting and this allows them to save money while people’s isolation may lead to depression.
Today’s workers are actively demanding remote work as they want to have more control over their time and finances. In other words, white collar workers spend half of the day in the public transport going from home to the office and they still have to work for another 8. Additionally, this commuting means that they have to take buses, the subway or a taxi twice a day which account for a huge part of the salary. A survey from the New York Times in 2023, showed that remote workers can save up to 12000 dollars more compared to in person workers.
By contrast, one of the main drawbacks of working from home is people´s isolation. Working behind a screen alone at home reduces in-person interactions as replaces them with virtual chatting and interactions such as virtual calls and emails. As a result of this,individuals who work from home may suffer from depression. A recent publication from the New Jersey Mental Health institute showed that during the Covid-19 pandemic, 25% of people working from home suffered from some kind of depression.
To conclude, in the present, there is an increased demand for remote workers as it is seen as an alternative that reduces expenses to workers and increases free time whereas it is believed that this kind of work may have negative impacts on mental health, leading to loneliness and depression.