The Not-So-Surprising Dark Side Of Working From Home

The reason why people think we are all drinking beer in our pajamas all-day

There is nothing more despicable to me than the stories of people who have been forced to work from home, but aren’t doing any work. It drives me crazy that people take advantage of something that I personally worked so hard to attain.

The other day I had a spirited conversation with conny manero on the topic of working from home. She shared several very good arguments as to why working from home is bad, and then she shared this article about her neighbor:

As I read through the article, her point of view made sense. I also realized how true her story is for employees who simply work a “job” as a means to an end. Her neighbor was just milking his job, moving his mouse around making it look like he was logged in, but really was doing anything else but work.

It made me wonder how many employees aren’t really working at all now that they have been forced to work from home.

The dark side of work from home is the reason why many of us look bad when we say “we love working from home.”

What is the Dark Side?

The dark side of working from home is the pajama toting, beer-drinking, slacker. He doesn’t actually work. He is probably playing video games or binge-watching Netflix when he could be doing the job he is getting paid to do.

Yet, he is forced to work from home now. And instead of seeing this as a blessing and opportunity, he will leach off of his employer until he is either caught, screws up, or gets so bored with his life he quits.

I am positive there are many like him in the workforce right now. Thinking they can get away with anything. Believing that he is just taking back years of his life that he devoted to his stupid job.

But the truth is, he is stealing from his company.

When a work from home employee decides to do his personal life and not his job, he is stealing time. The time that is not his own. The time he would not have been stealing if he were in a cubicle. And it is in this form of stealing that he will mess things up for everyone else.

A Note About Work From Home and COVID-19

Now, for many people who worked from home before COVID-19, they earned their right to work from home. They worked hard to show they could do their job from anywhere and were good at it. These people know the value of work time and home time.

However, because of COVID-19 and Social Distancing, people are working from home because they are forced to do it. They never earned it. But now they have the freedom and responsibility that others earned.

When people attain something like work from home without working for it, there will be some that will take advantage and possibly ruin it for others. I believe this to be happening and we need to be on the lookout.

Some employees are not capable of taking responsibility for their work at home.

They just aren’t. And when this entire thing is over, and we start going back to office spaces or companies continue to allow employees to work from home, it will be important to watch out for the time thieves.

Some Things to Remember About Work From Home

When you work from home because of COVID-19, remember that this doesn’t mean you are on a paid vacation. You are working. You need to learn how to manage your life while working from home instead of stealing from your employer.

This means achieving a balance in work from home. Learning when you are on the clock and when you aren’t. Establishing boundaries for your family, friends, and self.

It also means you need to think about how working from home impacts your family. Make sure everyone knows what is expected of you and expected of them. This will save a lot of trouble in the end.

You can enjoy the advantages of working from home and even turn it into something you do after the virus. But you need to set your work from home life up so you can succeed and enjoy your life too.

Final Thoughts

Working from home shouldn’t mean you can do whatever you want. It should be a privilege that you can enjoy a little more freedom responsibly. Especially now that it will be an option for many of us after COVID-19.

And for many of us and our companies, it will be a great option.

But we need to be responsible. We need to be smart. And we need to show that we can earn this option when it no longer is a mandatory part of our work life. Don’t join the dark side of working from home. Don’t ruin it for the rest of us.

Set yourself up to succeed and enjoy the possibilities.

Jack Heimbigner is an author, creator, and coach. He lives in the country in Eastern Washington State with his family. Start winning your day by winning your morning with his new email course: Maximize Your Morning.