Recently, working from home has become increasingly popular. The benefits of working from home are not only for the workers themselves but also for employers. The former can achieve a better work-life balance. At the same time, employers can see increased staff productivity in carrying out work tasks. Switching to remote work can be provoked by various reasons; in any case, if you want to work in the format presented and ask your employer for it, you should formulate clear arguments.
If you are considering whether to work remotely, you should familiarise yourself with the main reasons you should change the office environment to the comfort of your home. This article will help. The material below lists the main benefits of working remotely and looks at a remote job.
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Working from home is an activity that allows employees to work away from the office. Many employers have been actively using this form of cooperation in recent years and have already noted the benefits of working. This activity is also called remote work or remote job. With the development of modern technology, many employees no longer need to be physically present on the office premises to continue to cope effectively with the work tasks. Working remotely can bring the most significant benefits through excellent employee productivity and boosted morale.
Remote work gives workers greater flexibility because they can perform their duties suitably. The increased productivity of remote workers is because they can achieve a work-life balance.
There are many benefits to switching from office space to the comfort of home. Below we have listed the top reasons to work from home, which might tempt you to replace the suffocating walls of the workplace with a more relaxed environment where you do not have to be regularly sent to the workplace.
The main benefits of working remotely start with the fact that you can cut costs substantially – up to $6,000 annually. Additional savings can be seen in various expense categories:
By introducing savings on various items of expenditure, more money is available for personal expenditure at the end of the month.
Rush hour traffic takes quite a bit of time. Statistics show that commuters spend around 54 hours a year standing in traffic. Working from home avoids such a big waste of time and uses working hours well. The hours saved can be spent on something more pleasant and valuable – spending that time with relatives, working out for yourself, playing with your child, etc. Employees working from home often start work earlier, freeing up more time for personal matters.
Also, office gossip can only cause problems. Instead of concentrating directly on their work duties, employees bicker amongst themselves. Working from home ensures fewer interruptions – staff will be focused on coffee in the break room to catch up on the latest news.
Some companies allow employees to take unlimited holidays, but can still come and go as they please. More often than not, taking time off is a matter of timing. Employees who carry out their professional duties from home have noted that their personal life and working hours have become more balanced. Working remotely gives more freedom. Employees can choose when it is most convenient for them to carry out their duties, rather than doing it exactly when office politics dictate.
For example, an employee has a toothache and needs to go to the dentist during the working day. He could be put in an ‘off-duty’ status and take care of his health. It is easy to achieve a work-life balance – hours missed during the day can easily be made up for in the evening.
Many remote workers have noticed improved mental health, as their stress levels are much lower. Remote work allows a lot more freedom in time management – you do not have to worry about not being able to pick up the kids from school, you still have to spend over an hour in traffic after a gruelling day at work, you are worried that it is 4:58 pm in the office, but the work meeting has just started, which means that you will be late for dinner with your loved one again, and so on. As a result, mental health is disturbed, the employee experiences increased stress, unnecessary worries, and develops anxiety.
Working from home is less stressful for mental health. One study investigated remote teams who had worked in an office before the pandemic. They found that working from home minimised their reaction to the physical and psychological stress of everything happening.
In some situations, increased stress levels in the workplace stimulate the achievement of career goals. Still, for most people, it undermines mental health, which harms productivity. Working remotely makes a person less stressed, increasing their productivity significantly. In this situation, too, one study was conducted, which found that working remotely was more productive than working in the local office, even though it could have been better. Many noted fewer distractions in this situation, and productivity was increased by not having to commute to work every day.
Surveys show that approximately 90% of people would be willing to volunteer. At the same time, only every 4th person does this activity. Approximately 50% of those surveyed said their busy work life does not allow them to devote part of their time to voluntary work. At the same time, working from home during the pandemic has enabled a significant increase in volunteer volumes – in the first half of 2020, many have started to share their volunteering experiences on LinkedIn.
Remote work has a positive impact on health. There are many benefits to be noted in this situation:
The carbon footprint can be drastically reduced with remote work. The fact is that the active use of transport leads to an increase in the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It leads to climate change and other negative consequences. Also, working from home means using electricity to run your computer, charge your phone, run the air conditioning, or heat the room. Still, your electricity use in the home is much lower than if the whole workforce was in the office. For example, you may have only one lamp in a room. The air conditioner is only on in the room where you are, and so on.
Working from home is convenient for employees of all ages. For example, an employee is approaching retirement age but has yet to be ready to leave their job and take a well-deserved holiday. In this situation, working from home provides employee retention because often, the employer himself may not want to let an employee leave but offers him a more comfortable work schedule. The flexibility of this work format allows employees to work as long as they wish, freeing up time for their personal life. In addition, working from home can be an excellent source of income when an employee retires.
When asked to name the best benefits working from home offers, the list continues. But one of the most important reasons is that employee job satisfaction increases. It is due to a whole host of factors: minimization of stress, fewer distractions and more focus on work tasks, rational use of time, and more freedom. In particular, the employee can devote more time to their hobbies and better health (physical and psychological), among others. A good working life also has a positive effect on other areas. A happy employee will also feel that way in other areas of his life.
There are many reasons why you should consider working remotely. The benefits of working mentioned above are the most important reasons why you should consider switching from a suffocating office to a more comfortable environment. Still, the main positive effect is a work-life balance and an optimal relationship to personal matters. If remote jobs without the need to be in the office are not suitable, then flexible schedules can provide maximum convenience. A good schedule and work format will ensure high job satisfaction. Employees can find the best option for themselves, depending on their preferences, if they are persistent enough.
