Working from Home changed my life for the better. Let me list the ways.
Saving money. I was never able to save money until I started working from home. I had to spend money on the car, repairs, gas, food, better clothes required by my job. It was only when I started working from home that I was able to slowly start to save money because I wasn’t having those extra costs.- Saving time. Since I wasn’t spending time on buying professional clothing, fixing my older used car, waking up early to be in at 8 everyday I could rest and be more focused. What a pleasure it is to be able to sleep until 8 and then wake up and get ready to work at 9.
- Saving the environment. I think it is very short-sighted when business leaders don’t consider the impact on the environment their decisions make. I am not using gas, electricity and other things like I would during my commute. In addition I am not contributing to the costs of roadways, tollways, public transportation and so on. So many benefits to not commuting.
- Saving stress/hassle. It is stressful to commute, and more stressful when you are HSP like myself. Not everyone is an extrovert, and while I can be an extrovert I also like being an introvert at times. With WFH you choose how much you want to engage with others, and that makes everyday more pleasant.
- Saving wasted hours for your company. Research shows that most people only do 3 hours of real work during the day. The rest is taken up with conversations, and other things. I would put anyone who works from home against anyone in the office and the performance and output is going to be better. I come online sooner than I would with my commute, and I can work later if I need to without an issue.
- Saving health costs. By staying home I am saving my employer health costs from communicable diseases. Every open office concept I have worked in has meant that everyone gets sick when someone gets sick. Now by working at home, it is impossible for this to happen. I would bet that people who work at home are healthier than people who go into the office and the insurance premiums are lower.
- Saving duplicated costs. What is the point of having an in person office when it can all be done at home? The theory of water-cooler conversations leading to a breakthrough is more a myth. It is offset by far the very real costs of duplicating infrastructure. Companies that had everyone in house no longer have that, and they are paying for space and features they are not using. Why do that? Ask your employees where they want to work and where they are most efficient and let them choose.
- Saving miscellaneous costs. Why make things more complicated by having two places to work? If people want to work outside of their home give them the difference from what you paid for them in the office. Lets say that it costs $2000 a year for their equipment, electricity, space and everything else in the office. Give them $1000 to have an office anywhere they like, and let them spend it however they want. Everyone wins.
- Saving old thinking. Working in an office makes sense when you have to due to the type of product you make. If your product is knowledge, what do you think you will gain from being in an office? This is a decision made because of history not because people have thoughtfully and looked for data for the points above. Look for data to support your decisions!
- Saving face. I think many times people want to be in the office for ego reasons because there aren’t any logical reasons for knowledge workers to be in the office. Why be in the office if it is a choice?