Being able to work from the comfort of one’s own home is a trend that has been starting to see a lot of attention in recent years. Statistics show that the number of people working from home has been steadily increasing over the years. And according to some predictions, by 2020 almost half of all employees may be able to work from home instead of the office, if not full-time at least occasionally. Shifts on the labour market, new generations and different life and work habits caused by the modern world are only a few of the many reasons that are causing more and more people to start working from home.
With that being said, it should be noted that this type of work is only possible because of the many technological advancements that have taken place over the past decade. Today, technology is allowing most office jobs to be done as well if not better from the comfort of people’s homes and without the need to physically go to the office and waste time on the commute. Essentially, almost all of the things required to successfully do a traditional office job have come down to a computer or a laptop with an internet connection. In fact, most of the things usually associated with office work, including office materials, physical contact with a team member and even telephone landlines have all been made redundant because of technology. All of these things are making working from home a more appealing and interesting way for people to get their jobs done and understanding all of the benefits working from home can have will help you see why you should encourage it as well.
Higher productivity
It may come as a surprise that research has found that working from your home can actually increase your productivity. However, it’s not that it just increases productivity, a 2-year Stanford study shows that it can, in fact, give people an astonishing productivity boost despite what people may believe. We are surrounded by numerous sources of distraction in our homes. From, phones, TV and many other things it may be hard for people to just sit down and do their job from home. However, these distractions don’t pose as big of a threat to someone’s productivity as some things that occur in the office. Being late and going home early, for example, can significantly lower the amount of productive time you spend at work whereas if you stayed home you wouldn’t be tempted and constantly thinking about not being able to wait to finally go home. On top of this, the office also has many other distractions such as other employees who are trying to talk to you or are in general being loud while talking on their phones or other employees. Additionally, being able to stay at home and get your work done can reduce the stress most people face when having to go to the office.
Lower workspace costs
One of the bigger benefits of working from home from an employer’s perspective is the amount of money you can save on things such as workspace rent. Renting out an office space for your employees and also having to fill it up with all of the necessary equipment they are going to need such as computer and also having to pay the bill for electricity, heating and so on. All in all, the amount of money you have to spend on a functioning office is insane. Alternatively, if you are hiring remote workers or allowing your current ones to start working from home, you will have to spend a lot less money on your office space which will have a huge positive impact on your company’s finances.
Access to a more skilled workforce
When you have employees that work from their homes, you can hire people no matter what city, country or even continent they are from. The internet has allowed people to be able to work a certain job no matter where they are from, which means you can find people who are more skilled, talented and dedicated for the position you have in mind. On top of this, there are many people online who offer services from bookkeeping, accounting and even companies that offer KYC services such as Data Zoo from which you can hire people to help you out in these areas. Engaging with these companies means you don’t have to hire extra employees and thus reduce the overall costs of your business while keeping the quality of your products and services.
Flexible work schedules
If your job doesn’t require of you to work at a certain time of the day working from home can also allow you to set your own work time and thus organize your daily schedule around any other events, you have in mind. This means you can also set up your schedule in such a way that allows you to spend more time with family and friends and all in all, live a more fulfilling life instead of coming home tired every night.
Less time and money spent on the work commute
If you live in a big city, it usually takes quite a lot of time for you to get to your job and back home. This precious time that is being wasted here could be spent working and organizing your time better. On top of this, the price of gas or public transport tickets can also stack up and significantly impact your wallet if you have to travel large distances to get to the office every day. Working from home allows people to avoid all of these things, saving both time and money in the process.
Conclusion
The trend of shifting from traditional office jobs to remote ones has been picking up a lot of traction in recent years and as we’ve seen in this text with good reason. While there may be a few drawbacks when it comes to working from home the benefits are definitely more impactful which is why you should definitely give working from home a chance both as an employer and as an employee.
Bily Bum is an electrical engineer, tech, and gaming fan with 15 years of experience in the technology world. He is also a contributor on site Technivorz.