Imagine the scenario. You have decided to work from home. Just think of how much you’ll get done without no meetings to attend or the interruption of colleagues!

Then there’s the extra hour you can stay in bed every morning that would otherwise be spent on a cramped commuter train, not to mention being able to swap your desk for the comfort of working out of your favourite armchair. And if you have a pet, they’ll be around for company. Sounds ideal, doesn’t it?

Yet the realities of working from home can be very different, a recent study by Regus has revealed.

According to the findings, six in ten people said their attempts to work from home are disrupted by having to deal with kids, pets or other family members demanding attention and making noise.

Poor internet connectivity is also cited as hindering work productivity. And working from a makeshift home office can lead to posture problems.
The survey, based on interviews with over 24,000 business people from 90 countries, identified 15 main obstacles to working productively from home.

The top three are:

1. Children or family demanding attention (59% of respondents)

2. Difficulty concentrating on work issues (43% of respondents)

3. Children, family members or pets disturbing work telephone calls (39% of respondents)

On the health side, 20% said their posture had been adversely affected by unsuitable home office arrangements, and 21% reported the lack of proper work surface in their home to be a problem.

But if homeworking on its own isn’t the solution, what are workers looking to obtain a reasonable work-life balance meant to do?

Finding a professional environment close to home to work out of rather than actual homeworking could be the answer.

You’ll still be able to work alongside and interact with other professionals, and without interruptions from family you can remain productive during working hours. Then, at the end of the day you can switch off, thus avoiding the strain working from home can put on family life.