Working from Home | Writing for Academic IELTS PDF Download

Discuss whether you think that working from home has more advantages or disadvantages. 

Here is in the question:
Q. These days, many people have their own computer and telephone, so it is quite easy for them to do their job at home. Does working at home have more advantages or more disadvantages?

Hint:

The Task

• In this essay you have the following task:
  • Does working at home have more advantages or disadvantages?
• This suggests that there are both pros and cons of working from home as you are asked which there are more of. 
• So in your answer to this working from home essay it's better to discuss both but write more about the side that you think there are more of so that the essay content reflects your opinion. 
• Try then to think of one reason for one side of the argument and two for the other side.

Organisation

• It's usual in academic writing to start with the opinion that is the one you don't support so start with that one.
• So based on this, the sample working from home essay is organised as follows:
  • Have more control of time (advantage)
  • Loneliness (disadvantage)
  • Less influence in the company (disadvantage)

Sample Answer

• In the present age it is common for people to work from home because of advances in technology. On balance, I would argue that this has more negative impacts than positive. 
• One advantage of working from home is the freedom it provides. Home workers can organise their work around their home life as they can stop or start work as they please, and thus if, for example, they have children, they can easily arrange to take them and pick them up from school. They can also undertake any other tasks that they need to do during the day, such as doing the laundry or shopping, and then finish work later. Overall then, employees have more control over their lives.
• Despite these positive factors, however, there are a number of  disadvantages. The first of these is the fact that those who work at home nearly all the time will not be mixing with colleagues. When people are at work, they are always surrounded by others, but at home, an employee is likely to be alone most the time. This may lead to feelings of loneliness due to a lack of interaction. 
• Another drawback is the fact that one may have less influence in the company. It is often the case that important decisions arise on the spur of the moment as unexpected issues arise. If an employee is not there, others may have to step in. If this occurs on a regular basis, the employees contribution to the company may decline, meaning a higher probability of getting overlooked for things such as promotion. 
• In conclusion, although there are positives and negatives related to working from home, there are more negative impacts. Employees should therefore consider carefully whether working from home is the best choice.