The advantages of working from home

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Coronavirus has completely changed our lives. The ‘new normal’ means that many businesses are scrapping office working and encouraging their employees to work from home. For many of us, we can see the advantages of working from home and are thrilled that we won’t have to find ways to tackle coronavirus anxiety when heading back to work. 

However, many of us will be struggling with the new adjustment. It can feel odd not conversing with your coworkers each day. Maybe you’re finding it hard to distance work life from home life. Or, maybe your internet connect is really beginning to annoy you. As someone who has worked remotely for years, I’ve created a list of 10 things that I personally think are a huge advantage to working from home. I hope this inspires you to enjoy your remote working life!

10 advantages of working from home

  1. You’re saving lives. This is perhaps to most obvious, but most overlooked, advantage of working from home. Coronavirus is deadly and by staying at home, you’re stopping the spread of the virus. Your actions are protecting yourself, your family and the wider community… go you!
  2. You can customise your environment.When your desk is in your own home, it is easy to control noise, lighting, the music played and the room temperature. What is more, you won’t have to listen to Pauls awful sniffling (blow your nose, for goodness sake) or the ladies in the HR team gossiping about their weekend antics.
  3. You will save money. There if no denying that we could all do with saving money, especially with the growing financial instability after a pandemic. When working from home, you are less tempted to splash some extra cash on a coffee or a takeout for lunch. You can bulk buy food and cook at home for the week. On top of this, if you have a family, then working from home means you could save some hard earned money on childcare.
  4. No more commuting. This sentence is probably every commuters dream. If you work from home, there will be no long train rides, no smelly buses or extensive traffic jams. Oh, and you wont have to deal with the frustration of being stuck walking behind someone walking agonisingly slow when you’re in a rush to get to the office. A win, win situation!
  5. It is environmentally friendly. Not only does not commuting to work mean no unnecessary annoyances, it is also good for the environment. By not travelling to and from an office, you’re reducing your carbon footprint. Similarly, when working from home, you’re in control of how environmentally friendly you are. You can manage your own energy usage and handle your own rubbish disposal.
  6.  There is more flexibility. When you work from home, you’re more flexible with waiting for deliveries or attending appointments. We’ve all received THAT text from a courier before. “We will attempt to deliver your parcel between 4am and 11pm tomorrow, please make sure you’re home”. Like yeah sure Mr delivery driver, not like I have a job (or a life). Well, now you have to stay at home all day, you can wait for your parcel. Similarly, if you have to pop to the doctors, it is easier to get back to work when your office is at home
  7. You get to spend more time to spend with your loved ones. Maybe they’re working from home too, so you’re with them all day. Or maybe, the reduced travel time means you have more time in the evenings to spend time with friends and family.
  8. You will have increased productivity and motivation. When working at home, there are far less distractions and interruptions. You will also have a much more peaceful office space where you feel in control. And, you will feel less tired from the commute and have the option to plan healthier and more filling meals. All of these factors promote productivity and motivation, making you a better employee!
  9. Promotes a better work-life balance. We are all guilty of over working and not taking some time out for ourselves.  Less commuting means you will have more time in the evenings, or in the mornings, for you to enjoy.
  10. Increased job satisfaction. A 2005 study found that job satisfaction increased with each additional hour spent working remotely up to 15 hours of remote working. So, the proof is in the pudding… more time working at home means that you will love your job!

Wrapping up

I hope this post has made you feel a bit more comfortable with working from home. Have you worked from over over the last few months? How did you find it? Let me know in the comments section below!

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