Economic and Social Advantages and Limitations of Working from Home in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia

The authors of this study analyzed the economic and social advantages and limitations of working from (at) home in four countries of the Western Balkans - Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research was carried out by applying an electronic survey on appropriate samples of 408 respondents from Serbia, 201 from Montenegro, 221 from North Macedonia and 201 from Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the research, a questionnaire consisting of 14 questions with answers in nominal form was created. The questions referred to several economic and social advantages and limitations of working from (at) home, starting with whether the respondents would recommend working from (at) home, the advantages of this work, the guidelines about establishing this type of business, whether to involve family members, what are the basic rules for a successful business from (at) home and performance evaluation, office organization, appearance and dress code, whether to engage in full-time or part-time work, the level of confidence of the owner in the business and earnings from year to year, the strategies used for this purpose, the most common problems and strategies for overcoming them, as well as practical advice to future entrepreneurs. In general, respondents from all four countries showed significantly more positive than negative attitudes toward working at (from) home, although there are noticeable and significant differences between countries. The main motives for working from home are flexible working hours and good earnings for all respondents. The respondents emphasized the importance of a well-designed business plan, but most have stereotypical strategies regarding the increase in performance. Also, they denied the importance of ergonomic rules for success, and in case of failure, they expect support and help from relatives and friends. There is a significant dose of ambivalence in business planning, making decisions about permanent or additional activities, and providing advice to others among the respondents. The main reasons should be sought in decreased and low-accumulative jobs (trade, providing of intellectual services, etc.) due to very limited initial investments. Respondents from Montenegro have the most psychosocial problems when working from (at) home and struggle with reconciling professional and family obligations with the least support from family and relatives. Respondents from North Macedonia are somewhat similar to them, although they are better positioned towards their families. The most successful and satisfied are the respondents from Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is the youngest population that is relatively mostly represented in the IT sector. Respondents from Serbia are most similar to respondents from Bosnia and Herzegovina in terms of satisfaction, as well as in closeness to family members, relatives, and friends.