The benefits of "Working from Home"

21st September 2020

Today marks the working from home lockdown to 50% of 2020

Thats half of the year Home sweet home Is It Time to Let Employees Work from Anywhere?

The main Benefits of Working from Home Working from home or remote working has always held many advantages for both the employer and the employee. It has never been more proven than the last six months since the beginning of Lockdown in the UK Monday 23rd March 2020. As an employee who has been advised to continue to work from home for at least until the end of 2020 I wanted to celebrate the positive aspects of this opportunity and share information that may open your eyes even more to remote work’s impact on employers, employees, the economy, and the planet. 1. Work-Life Balance Working from home give flexibility to start and end the day as you chose, as long as your work is complete and you cover core business times. Enabling you to control your work schedule which can be invaluable when it comes to attending to the needs of your personal life. Whether it’s balancing school schedules, elderly parent's needs, medical appointments, and errands, or planning time for fitness or walking in the morning, or even being home for a contractor can all be done a little more easily when you work from home.

2. Less Commute Stress Wasting time commuting is just one of the downsides of getting to and from work. More than 30 minutes of daily one-way commuting is associated with increased levels of stress and anxiety, and research shows that commuting 10 miles to work each day is associated with health issues like:

• Higher cholesterol

• Elevated blood sugar

• Increased risk of depression

In lockdown by ditching the commute this helped support your mental and physical health. The time savings can allow you to focus on priorities outside of work, like getting extra sleep in the morning, spending more time with family, getting in a workout, or eating a healthy breakfast.

3. Job Location Flexibility Enabling people who live in rural communities and small towns where there may not be many available local positions flexibility to work anywhere. Having no set job location means that remote workers could still having a meaningful career. In addition, remote work is a great way to avoid high-rent and high-mortgage areas, especially for positions (like tech) that used to require living in a city with a high cost of living. With remote work, you no longer have to live near an area to have a career you love.

4. Improved Inclusivity Remote work enables companies to embrace diversity and inclusion by hiring people from different economic, geographic, and cultural backgrounds. Remote work also gives people who may have a hard time finding steady employment at an onsite job, like those with disabilities or caregivers who need a flexible schedule, the opportunity to follow their career goals without having to worry about commuting back and forth to an office, and with the flexibility to get to doctor’s and other healthcare appointments when needed. 5. Money Savings People who work from home are able to save money on petrol, parking, car expenses, travel costs on public transportation, a professional wardrobe, lunches bought out, and more can all be reduced or eliminated from your spending entirely. These savings add up and put more money back into your pocket. And the savings aren’t just for employees, either. As more and more companies allow employees to continue working from home post-pandemic they’ll also see significant long-term cost savings. A typical company who value remote work save on things like:

• Overheads

• Travelling Costs

• Meeting Venues

• Reduce office space

During the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are saving by allowing employees to work from home. This major economic benefit of remote work could continue as more companies make it a long-term solution. 6. Positive Environmental Impact Based on an estimate of 3.9 million employees who work from home at least half time reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking more than 600,000 cars off the road  for an entire year. And by making environmentally sound choices—like opting to use less paper and monitoring their air conditioning, heating, and lighting—remote workers have the same potential impact on air quality as planting an entire forest of 91 million trees. 7. Impact on Sustainability Remote work supports a variety of sustainability initiatives, from economic growth and reduced inequalities, to sustainable cities, climate change, and responsible consumption. One of the fastest, cheapest ways for employers and employees to reduce their carbon footprint and to affect climate change is by reducing commuter travel. In fact, the world is already seeing markedly reduced pollution, congestion, and traffic during the pandemic response, and being able to experience the results first hand may be a driver of remote work for everyone involved. 8. A Comfortable Office Being able to create a comfortable home office is an excellent benefit of remote work. Whether you simply want a more ergonomic chair, or you have health issues that lead to needing specialised office equipment, you can set up your home office and make it whatever you want.

9. Increased Productivity and Performance A recent annual survey in 2019  found that 65% of professionals think they would be more productive working remotely than in a traditional office, with 49% saying they go to their home or home office when they really need to concentrate and be away from distractions and get work done. Working from home usually leads to fewer interruptions, less office politics, a quieter noise level, and less or more efficient meetings. Add in the lack of a commute, remote workers typically have more time and fewer distractions, which leads to increased productivity—a huge benefit of working from home for both employees and employers alike. When done right, remote work allows employees and companies to focus on what really matters—performance.

10. A Happier, Healthier Work Life Balance Remote, flexible workers tend to be happier and more loyal employees, in part because working from home has been shown to lower stress, provide more time for hobbies and interests, and improve personal relationships, among other things. In addition to personal health and well-being, coworker and manager relationships can be more positive without the distractions and politics that come along with an in-office job. Working from home can also lead to better health in a variety of ways: more time for physical activity, the ability to eat healthier, the ability to recover from illness or surgery at home, less exposure to illnesses, ease of caring for a health issue or disability, and the option to create a comfortable and ergonomic workspace. Working remotely can give employees the time and environment needed to make healthy choices.

Copyright © 2020, Creative Journey to Wellness

Posted 21st September 2020