Benefits and Challenges of Working From Home as a Virtual Assistant

Posted October 26, 2016

If you are used to working in an office-based environment, it can be a challenge to break into the virtual world. It’s even more challenging if you’re applying for your very first job as a VA—with no experience and totally unaware of what tasks to expect.

Before you leave your office job, make sure you are equipped for the big move. If you think transferring from a traditional office to a home office is easy, you might want to reconsider. Being a virtual assistant is not necessarily easier than working in an office. In fact, this new working environment can give you a lot of unexpectedly difficult challenges.

Ready to take a leap of faith? Check out the benefits and challenges of working from home as a Virtual Assistant below.

CHALLENGES

Collaboration

Collaborating with the rest of your team can be hard as a VA because you can’t interact with them personally. Being away from your team means that you need to exert extra effort on communication to stay updated on each other’s progress. It’s also hard to build a company culture as your relationship with your coworkers is fully dependent on the strength of your mental and emotional health, computer and internet connection.
Electric Consumption

Since you are working from home and using your computer for more than 9 hours a day, expect your electricity consumption to rise. It is best to take responsibility and own up to your increasing bills.
Adjustments

If this is your first time working virtually, expect to face new problems, people, processes, tools and tasks. One big adjustment you have to make is getting used to working for employers with different cultures, nationalities, languages, personalities, and expectations. Every time you take on a new job, you have to learn to adapt to the expectations and behavior of your new employer.
Discipline

This is the most crucial part of being a VA. Many people want to shift from office to home-based work because they believe that Virtual Assistants get to enjoy all the comforts of home. Staffing companies even use this perk to attract more VAs to work with them. However, you need to remember that working from home entails a lot of self discipline. This means that even though you’re at home, you still need to focus on the job and avoid distractions.

Social Life

Working from home can be isolating especially for those who are used to socializing with people from work. Being at home all the time somehow separates you from your usual peers who are still working in the office. You will surely experience a schedule wherein you will no longer have the time to be with them.

BENEFITS

Time

The most precious gift you can give yourself while working from home is time. You get to save a lot of time as a VA since you no longer need to travel from home to your workplace. You can have enough time with your family and friends since you’re the one who’s solely managing your working hours.
Savings

Since you no longer need to travel, spend for meals during breaks and buy clothes for work, you can definitely save more money.
Comfort

Being at home is being in your comfort zone. This is where you can adjust the ambiance depending on whatever helps you function more effectively. This means fewer unwanted interruptions or distractions and better productivity.

In the long run, only you can conclude whether the virtual assistant industry is a great fit for you. If you’re still unsure, there’s nothing left to do but to try it for yourself!

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