Remote work and work from home are two popular concepts in the post covid work culture. Most of us use the two terms remote work and work from home interchangeably. But there is a distinct difference between remote work and work from home.
The basic difference between remote work and work from home is that work from home is a temporary situation, whereas remote work is more permanent in nature.
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What is Remote Work?
Generally, remote work involves working outside your office all the time. This can be at home, in a café, in a coworking space, or even on a sunny beach. Most importantly, remote work is not a temporary situation; rather, it’s the nature of your job. When you are doing remote work, you don’t go to your office at all (there can be exceptions like an all-important meeting)
Remote work definitely requires creating your own workspace. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to concentrate on work or manage your time.
Remote work sounds very easy and convenient, and most people are now becoming interested in finding remote jobs. But it’s not as easy as that. It requires a different set of mindsets, skills, and resources. To do a remote job successfully, you have to be a proactive self-starter with excellent concentration and time management skills.
Remote work is a very popular concept in the current workforce. In fact, in a survey conducted by FlexJobs in 2022, 65% of employees reported wanting to work remotely full-time.
Some companies now offer variations in remote work. Therefore, remote work has become a broad term that includes different variations like working from home, working from coworking spaces, and using a hybrid model (working from home on some days and going to the office on some days). These variations have given birth to related terms like flex work and telecommuting.
What is Flex Work?
Flex work means that your work hours are flexible, i.e., you can choose when you want to work. This method is mostly used by employees working from different time zones. More interestingly, flex work does not only mean working from – it can even refer to working from home, at least for a few hours or different time shifts.
What is Telecommuting?
Telecommuting is an older term, running back to the 70s. But in the context of remote work, telecommuting means employees are completing their work from outside of the traditional office using communication tools like smartphones and computers.
Read more to find out whether telecommuting is the right choice for you.
What is Hybrid Work?
There is no exact definition for hybrid models in remote work. But what this basically means is that employees work some days at home and some days at work. While it gives employees the comfort of working from home, it also gives them a chance to meet their colleagues and collaborate with them.
Read more on models of hybrid work.
What is Work from Home?
The phrase work from home typically refers to a temporary situation. For example, you normally work in an office, but you decide you want a change of scene and work one day from home. Or the weather in your area is really bad, making it difficult for you to drive to work; you can request permission from your supervisor to work the next few days from home.
Basically, you have an office space in your company, but you work from home occasionally due to various reasons. Therefore, working from home is a deviation from your normal routine.
Since work from home is a temporary situation, you can set up your temporary office anywhere in the house – your bed, kitchen table, or a comfy sofa in the living room.
What are the Similarities Between Remote Work and Work from Home?
- Both remote work and work from home give you a better work-life balance.
- Some studies have indicated that remote work or work from home can increase the productivity of employees.
- Since you don’t have to commute to the office, it saves you time and money.
What is the Difference Between Remote Work and Work from Home?
Remote work involves working outside your office all the time while work from home involves working some days from your home. Therefore, remote working is the nature of a job and it is not a temporary situation whereas working from home can be a temporary situation. In addition, remote work requires a home office whereas work from home only needs a temporary office, anywhere in your home. If you are remote working, you may have never gotten the chance to interact with your colleagues face-to-face, but in working from home, you have to go to the office on some days, so you get the chance to interact with your colleagues face-to-face.
Remote Work vs Work from Home – Comparison Table
Now that you know the difference between remote work and work from home, what do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below!
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