Work From Home
Working from home can be an attractive career move for us since it allows us to explore a different kind of working environment. From the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, work from home has been the default mode of working and from a pandemic, Covid-19 will slowly transition into an endemic since it is impossible to completely eradicate it. This means working from home will continue to be preferred.This arrangement might be considered as the best or the worst thing that could happen to us depending on our preferred working style. However, the most important factor to consider when working from home is, is it as effective as working from the office? Let us review some advantages and disadvantages we should consider when deciding if work from home is indeed effective.
Disadvantages
Lack of Communication and Teamwork
Working in an office with our coworkers who share the same objective and purpose as us, or receiving advice from our senior colleagues, can be very effective sources of motivation. Working from home, on the other hand, does not have that sort of environment and instead we have to work alone with little opportunity to communicate with our colleagues. The lack of communication and teamwork may cause us to take longer to complete tasks assigned to us.
Risk to Productivity
When working from home, there are various distractions that exist around us. Therefore we might feel tempted to take a midday nap due to the lack of supervision or get interrupted by our neighbours renovating their house which may last as long as a month. We may take long breaks which may lead to us having less productive work time. However, in the workplace there is an aura that exists which keeps us on the right track and therefore we can be more productive.
Effect on Mental Health of the Employees
The lack of physical connection when working from home may lead to us feeling more stressed as compared to working from the office as we are unable to turn to anyone for support when we face any challenges. Since virtual meetings are held to discuss work related issues, the small talks and catch up sessions with our colleagues stops happening. We might also struggle to find an appropriate routine which will help us separate work life and home life. All this contributes negatively to our mental health.
Risk of Burnout
When we work from our office there is a specific time we stop working to return home. However, when working from home, it might be difficult for us to differentiate between working life and home life as there is no physical difference. We may find it difficult to decide when to leave work, resulting in longer hours, higher stress, and, eventually, burnout.
Advantages
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Customisable office
Working from home gives us the privilege of designing our own home office according to our preference which will provide us with comfort and health benefits we require for ourselves. This means that we can implement and utilise our own customised workstation including an ergonomic chair since ergonomic chairs provide support for our backs, increase blood circulation as well as maximise comfort.
Better Work Life Balance
We are given the opportunity to have flexible work hours when we are working from home. This gives us better control over our work hours, be it giving ourselves short breaks during work or sitting with family members when working. The lack of travelling saves more time for us to be better rested and feel more refreshed when we start work the next day. This leads to us feeling happier with our work life balance which helps to increase work productivity.
Financial Benefits
Working from home allows us to save costs in many aspects. For instance, we will be able to save costs on travelling as we will not need to travel to work and back everyday anymore. During lunch, we often choose to eat at a slightly expensive restaurant with our colleagues; however, when working from home we would have no choice but to eat home cooked meals or food from nearby hawker centers. In order to stay in trend, many of us purchase work clothes regularly but when working from home, we will not see a need to do that.
More Work Flexibility
Working from home gives us the freedom to choose when to start and end our work day as long as the tasks assigned to us are completed within the given time. Not being tied to office hours also allows us to be more willing to work after office hours and during weekends. This flexible work schedule may be beneficial to meet certain business requirements as well as allow us to feel more relaxed.
Is Customising an office setup at home becoming a trend in Singapore?
According to various studies conducted, most people prefer to alternatively work from both home and office. Additionally a certain percentage of people prefer to work from home all the time. With working from home being the most preferred option, more of us see the need to set up our own customised workstation at home for increased productivity, causing this to become a necessity as well as borderline trendy. Productivity demands comfort, which is why getting an appropriate ergonomic chair can significantly improve productivity as well as provide many health benefits.
The Trend in Ergonomic Chairs
With technological advancements made in recent years, many of us have no choice but to spend the whole day in front of a computer, be it for gaming, work, or home based learning. However, since sitting all day can be very inconvenient and painful, literally, many of us are opting to invest in ergonomic chairs. Although ergonomic chairs are costly, recently, they have grown popular among not just gamers but also office workers and students. This is because of the level of lumbar support, comfort and durability they provide without sacrificing the aesthetics.
Voted as one of the best chairs in Singapore by BestinSingapore
Our Chairs
APOL’s ergonomic chairs are packed with features such as Full-Length Backrest Recline, Multi-Functional Tilt Mechanism and 4D Adjustable Armrests. The chairs come with Superior Grade Upholstery Neck and Lumbar Pillow and are made with Cloud Tech™ Foam which will make your sitting experience unbelievably soft and bouncy.
APOL’s chairs provide health benefits such as posture support and reduced back pains. Sitting for long hours can lead to musculoskeletal disorder and pinched nerves in the back, shoulder and neck. However, with the lumbar support provided by APOL’s ergonomically designed chairs, the natural curve of your body can be maintained. On top of that, the chairs are extremely comfortable!
APOL offers chairs of 3 different sizes, Sphinx which is suitable for people who are between 150cm to 165cm, Kraken which is suitable for people who are between 165cm to 190cm and Behemoth which is suitable for people between 170cm to 200cm. Each chair also comes in a few different colours. Visit our product page to find out more about each chair model including the depth and width so that you can decide on which chair best fits you!
Sphinx
Kraken
