Many workers and managers took note when Twitter said its employees could remain working from home for as long as they liked – and many expected a tidal wave of other companies to follow suit. Yet, not every company is willing, able or suited to make the transition to regular remote working.

To determine if this arrangement works for a given business, it helps to examine the pros and cons of working from home.

Some of the pros include:

Flexibility (and talented employees who appreciate this flexibility): You can draw from a broader global talent pool when you offer greater flexibility – workers can manage dentist appointments, visits from the plumber, workouts and more when they have greater flexibility in setting and maintaining their hours.
Time: Along those same lines, employees can save a significant amount of time when they don’t have to worry about commuting (not to mention the environmental benefits) or spending as much time getting ready each morning. This is more time people can dedicate to their jobs and/or personal pursuits.
Productivity: Many team members report increased productivity and innovation from working at home. Likewise, the technology tools to support this are better than ever.
Loyalty: Employees stay with businesses they deem appreciative of their talents and flexible with time. Companies may have to spend less time hiring and training when their workforce stays longer.

On the other hand, some of the cons are:

Training: When you do have new employees, training and onboarding can be more difficult, entail extra steps and take longer.
Relationships: Building connections with coworkers often happens while pouring a cup of coffee, walking to meetings or enjoying a meal. All of these interactions can add up to a stronger team, and this is harder to forge when everyone is at home.
Work-life balance: The lines between work and home can quickly become blurred when you are working at home. Some people will struggle to balance commitments on one or both ends.
·Endless distractions: Young kids, barking dogs, technology issues, ringing doorbells – the list of potential distractions is endless and some workers will struggle to stay focused in light of all of these.

Ultimately, companies will need to determine how effective their workforce is at home and whether that is sustainable for the long term. In the meantime, focusing on employee dynamics, productivity and morale can bolster greater at-home success.