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

In the previous years, most of the working population were required to travel to their workplace as this has been the society's standard of practice. But the recent times is continuously altering this culture as they are now shifting to work from home with the convenience brought by computers, the internet, and smart phones. What are the pros and cons of this transition? There are several advantages that can be analyzed from this phenomenon such as having more time to spend with the family members, taking back the power to balance your time to socialize with your friends, and slowly shedding out the stress of traveling to your workplace. If we compare the level of pressure of those who are working in Metro Manila and those who are residing in the provinces for example, we can say that the stress is higher for the first group due to the ungodly traffic jams before and after working hours on weekdays. Some people are traveling for a minimum of one to two hours on a regular workday, which already consumes more time away from their loved ones and in doing other activities. This is why a number of workers have the idea that their lives will be more balanced if they accomplish their office tasks at home. However, there are also disadvantages to this setup as researchers say that people are more prone to depression, anxiety, and overfatigue due to longer work screen time. For instance, some companies require their employees to give regular updates online to make sure that they are productive within the prescribed working hours. In addition, it also lessens social interaction among colleagues which affects team building and coordination activities. Some staff prefer communicating and having meetings in person as there are a lot of technical difficulties that usually arise when making important company decisions. In other industries, a proportion of people also don't have the means to avail better functioning laptops and upgrade their internet connections as they depend on office facilities. Overall, development comes with a price as every shift has its own consequences. The work from home culture is gradually becoming a norm especially in the year of the pandemic, but at the end of the day, it is vital to consider the health and capability of a working individual to adapt to such changes.