Remote Work vs Work From Home: Are They Really the Same?

If you’re someone living in 2021, there is little to no chance you haven’t heard of “working from home” and “remote work.” You might think that those two are basically the same concept from the moment you read them here. Well, we are here to tell you they are not. Although there is no huge difference, there is indeed a difference that might not be obvious to notice at first, but after you read this article, you’ll see it. If you are or pursue to become a digital nomad, this article is a great one to learn more about. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people have switched to a remote working model, and there is a significant increase in the number of remote workers. At this point, people may think remote work is the same as working from home. For the sake of making the right decisions, it would be best to understand the slight but important difference between the two. So, all digital nomads and those who are interested in the topic follow us to the end to figure it out!

Discovering the Different Nuances: The Way You Work from Home

So, it all starts with the definition of working from home and remote work, isn’t it? In the simplest terms, remote work refers to the working style where you don’t have to go to a workplace or an office. On the other hand, working from home refers to the working style where you do all your work from your house. Indeed, the terms are pretty self-explanatory.

If you haven’t noticed, we have referred to both as working “styles” In essence, working from home and remote work are two different working styles. However, when it comes to remote work and working from home, we also talk about a lifestyle.

When we talk about remote work, we are talking about the lifestyle where you have the freedom to choose the place you work. You take your work equipment wherever you’ll work. When it comes to working from home, it means that all your equipment is at home, where you carry out your work.

In other words, remote work refers to working at any other place that is not a part of your company’s office or headquarters. It can be your local co-working space, a rental office you choose, or basically any place you can think of.

It might sound complicated, but it isn’t actually. Remote work can also be work from home if the place you choose to work happens to be your home. It’s just the lifestyle attributions of those two different (but somehow similar) concepts. We hope it makes sense now!

Freelancing and Working Full-Time: Two Ways of Being Remote

In the context of remote working and working from home, or in general the non-traditional ways of working, there are two popular options you need to know about: Working as a freelancer or working full-time.

Freelancing is a way of self-employment, sometimes as a part of certain companies. You do not have a full-time job when you are a freelancer, but instead, you have different tasks to complete, which are often called “gigs”. You are paid based on the projects you complete. It might sound basic and not worthy, but believe us, people are making huge amounts of money by freelancing. Freelancers often work on multiple gigs with several clients, and the money they make is often related to their education, skills, and time they spend freelancing.

As the name indicates, freelancing is a pretty flexible way of working compared to a full-time job. Since it is a way of self-employment, freelancers often decide on their working hours or project delivery workflow. If you are highly skilled and people are demanding your services, you will most likely be in control of how things will work, creating greater flexibility.

On the other hand, a full-time job is basically a job that takes most of your day. In the simplest terms, you get hired by a company or an individual to work for them at a given amount of time. A full-time job can also be a remote job or a job where you work from home.

Similarities Between Remote Work and Working From Home

For the sake of clarity, it would be best to talk about the similarities and differences between remote work and working from home separately. The following are the common aspects of the two:

• You don’t go to your company’s office.
• You can choose the place you work.
• You have the chance to organize your environment according to your taste.
• They might impact your productivity negatively or positively.
• You will need to use lots of communication tools, especially if you work with a team.
• They both indicate a lifestyle and a working style.
• You need a set-up for the office requirements.

Differences Between Remote Working and Working from Home

So now, it’s time to discuss the differences between remote working and working from home. The following are the basic differences:

• In remote work, you can be at any place other than the company’s office. When working from home, you are working from your house.
• If you’re working remotely, your home may remain to be a personal space while your work environment is an office-like space, often dedicated to only working.

Cons of Remote Work

As you may have already noticed, the differences and similarities include some aspects that can be considered as disadvantages and advantages. The following are the cons of remote work:

• Isolation.
• Affects work and life balance.
• Increased distractions.
• Challenges of communication.
• The difficulty of keeping on track of what’s going on at the workplace.
• Concentration problems.

Cons of Working from Home

Of course, there are disadvantages of working from home as well. You may notice how some of them are similar to those of remote work. The following are disadvantages of working from home:

• Increased (and sometimes unavoidable) sources of distraction.
• Inability to find a proper place for meetings.
• Presence of the household.
• Privacy issues.
• Concentration problems.
• Time management issues.

Pros of Remote Work

There are benefits of remote work that cannot be overlooked. The following are the advantages of remote work:

• Increased flexibility.
• Improved productivity.
• Reduced costs of living.
• Less isolation.
• Chance to learn about new tools and technologies.

Pros of Working from Home

And lastly, there are advantages of working from home. The following are pros of working from home:

• Better work-life balance.
• Increased productivity.
• Flexibility.
• Reduced costs of living (especially transportation and eating).
• You can decorate and organize your workspace as you please.
• Lack of office-related distractions.
• More comfortable environment.

Originally posted on December 28, 2021 @ 9:21 pm