Working from home wouldn’t have become a global trend if it wasn’t an efficient option. This option has provided both employees and their employers with great benefits. Employees get to save time and costs that would otherwise go into commuting to their workplace, spend more time with their families, and work in their most comfortable outfit. Not to mention, they get to change their workstation whenever they feel like it. As for employers, they experience improved productivity and employee satisfaction. It seems like working from home is a winning scenario for everyone, but is it?
The Work-Life Balance
Despite its appeal, working from home has proven, in some cases, to increase domestic disputes. These disputes can escalate quickly; without sound judgment or conscious efforts to solve them, the home soon becomes a warzone. This is something that the lawyers at Burggraff Tash Levy PLC have experienced firsthand in many of their cases, where the partners may even end up in court for a divorce. Such an ending could easily be avoided if the partners have an active form of communication through which they settle their disputes. Unfortunately, these disputes usually get so out of hand that a lawyer is required to mediate them. The issue becomes even more complicated if there are children involved.
But it seems like we’ve gotten ahead of ourselves. What does all of this have to do with working from home? The truth of the matter is that it all comes down to the work-life balance that we all have to maintain. Once this balance is tampered with, many issues arise in both our personal and professional lives. This imbalance results in many issues, which eventually affect domestic lives.
How Working from Home Can Cause Domestic Disputes:
Inability to Unplug
What happens when you have the whole house to work from? You can work on the sofa, on your bed, in the living room, or even in the bathroom. While this flexibility can offer a change of scenery, it comes with the downside of mixing work and personal spaces. This makes it much more difficult to unplug from your work mood after work hours. Your spouse might want to talk or hang out with you, but your mind is just busy with work. Eventually, this will result in communication issues and them feeling that you’re too preoccupied with work to give them any attention, which is destructive to any kind of relationship.
Lack of Boundaries
Even if you dedicate specific hours to work, these hours probably won’t be full of just work. As long as you’re physically present, it can give your family the idea that you’re available. Your spouse might barge in on you and start a conversation, or your children may be too noisy for you to maintain a professional image during a Skype meeting. This lack of boundaries will, sooner or later, get on your nerves. It may result in a hostile environment in which you’re angry at everyone and they lack the respect that your work demands.
Work Prioritization by One or Both Partners
We’ve just mentioned that working from home usually gives the impression that you’re always available. This impression usually comes with belittling the work you do, which can be shown by asking you to take on more household responsibilities. After all, you’re always at home! When this happens, your own reaction might be to prioritize your work over your main responsibilities in retaliation. It’s needless to say that this will turn into an endless loop.
Lack of Space
You might be the only spouse working at home, but your partner may also be enjoying this work flexibility. If you’re both working from home, you’ll have to be able to maintain your professional side without affecting the other person negatively. Many of us have our own habits, moods, and needs when we’re working, which might result in a tougher form of communication with those around us. You might work better while listening to loud music, but perhaps your partner needs absolute silence. This lack of space and extended exposure might negatively affect your relationship.
Working from home, albeit attractive, can result in many domestic disputes if you’re not careful. Instead of each of you focusing on your own needs, a simple way to prevent disputes would be to keep an open line of communication and come to an agreement together. By designating a place and time to work, dividing responsibilities, respecting each other’s work, and giving each other the necessary space, you might enjoy the full benefits of this flexible lifestyle without any harm being done.
