Everyone craves for flexibility and comfort at work. However, until now, the need for these factors did not supersede the primary ones. Since the last two decades, the number of people who prefer to work from home has been increasing. People are now realizing the importance of a stable work-life balance. Unlike traditional job settings, where employees had to put in extra hours at the expense of their family time, work from home jobs are rapidly gaining popularity. This is because these home based jobs provide better flexibility to employees in terms of working hours. Also, advancement in Internet and communication technology has given a substantial boost to work from home opportunities.

"If you work from home, a Tuesday looks pretty much like a Saturday!"

Flexible work policies can help reduce stress, improve health, and save money. The main reason for job stress is when you can't manage other things around you because of work. An example of this is attending a meeting at work when your child is unwell at home. Based on a research, it was found that employees were more loyal to their employers when they were given an option to work from home at that time. Naturally, employees reported fewer symptoms of stress when their employers were flexible. Therefore, not only from the point of view of technology but also one's well being, work from home jobs are very much in demand nowadays.

Become the most efficient 'work from home employee'

While there are a number of benefits of home based jobs, let's not forget the drawbacks it has. One of the main disadvantages of work from home jobs reported by employers was that employees often became lazy. This made them slack during working hours from home. Another one that employers reported was that employees who work from home often experience a lack of competitive spirit. They have no chance of interacting and socializing with colleagues at work. Thus, they do not get that drive to compete and beat each other's efforts at work. Also, sometimes employees at home based jobs cannot draw the line between giving time to personal chores and their work hours. This delays the tasks and the employee's productivity gets marginalized.

What do you need in this case?

You need to be self-disciplined at work. You also need to practice some self-management and be focused on your tasks and outcomes. A work from home employee should have excellent skills of time-management and prioritizing. For example, you can set up dedicated working hours, even at home, and make sure that you don't get distracted by family or your personal chores at that time. This will help you stay focused, and won't affect or slow down your productivity. When you work with a schedule on your home based jobs, it becomes easier to produce quality results. It also becomes easier to not fall prey to any of the disadvantages of working from home.

Let's read a testimonial of a happy work from home employee!

"I became a software tester from home" - Namrata Singh

Many companies pay online testers to test out their websites and make sure everything is in order. Namrata, a Bachelor in Computer Science, told us, "I used to work as a website tester at a software company in my city. But after the birth of my son, I found it difficult to juggle work with my motherly responsibilities sometimes. However, I had a wonderful track record at work and I did not want to struggle at my duties now. That's when my boss suggested a work from home arrangement for me. He was very understanding and helped me out in planning my work hours at home. That really made me work efficiently without losing out on my productivity. I basically got instructions from the office on how to and what to test the website and software for. Of course, some of my responsibilities had been lessened, given my situation; but I was happy. I was able to pay adequate attention to my 16-year-old son, and also maintain my career successfully!"

"My son is seven now, but I really found the work from home arrangement quite convenient for me. I spoke to my boss about it, and now I have a home based job as a software tester. This has even opened up freelancing opportunities for me!"