Published on July 24th, 2020 | by Bibhuranjan

Work from home benefits – Why this trend might go mainstream

Since the implementation of lockdowns around the world, millions of people have gone from long daily commutes into busy offices to working from home. For most, this has also come with a range of possibly unforeseen benefits and upsides. In challenging times, these silver linings are important and should be celebrated. If you’re still not convinced about the positives of working from home, here are a few areas to consider.

Travel

If you’ve been working from home in recent months, the chances are your commute is now only a short walk (unless you happen to live in a particularly large house!). Commuting is generally a downside of working in an office and is something most of us would rather avoid. It’s not only the commute that disappears when working from home. It’s the associated stress and anxiety caused by train delays and cancellations, or the claustrophobic environment of many commuter modes of transport in major cities.

However, it is important to try to separate your work from the rest of your life when working from home. People used to it will likely have a home office set up, but if working from home is new to you, this may not be available. Try to manufacture a ‘work zone’ in your home and avoid working in your bedroom if possible.

Time

How many hours of commuting have you saved in the last few months? For many, this number will be significant. The time regained when working from home can be used for all sorts of things, whether work-related or not. The chances of maintaining a healthy work-life balance are massively increased by a shorter commute time with the possibility of spending more time with family and fitting in exercise without having to get up at 5am. There is a danger that when working from home, people find it harder to clock off in the same way you might when leaving the office. Building a working routine at home is crucial and being strict with your work hours will help separate work from the rest of your life. It should also help your productivity in the hours that you are working.

Money

Some organizations will pay travel expenses for employees but many people absorb these costs out of their salaries. Either way there is a huge amount of money to be saved by working remotely or from home. The figures from recent months will speak for themselves when companies look at how costs can be saved in the future. It will be interesting to see the proportion of companies that hold on to their expensive offices now that they’ve had a chance to see how their teams can work remotely.

Green benefits

Reduced travel has an added benefit of being good for the environment. This is the case for the reduction in daily travel such as commuting, but also for those long distance work trips, sometimes involving several flights just for one meeting. In a post-covid world, it will be hard to justify this level of travel and environmental impact when digital communication systems have proved to be so successful during this period. Again, a silver lining of the otherwise terrible situation in which we find ourselves is the reduction in emissions. It is something that should be continued into the future as economies begin to rebuild and we navigate towards the new normal.

A privacy tip for working from home

Privacy is important. With most of us using video conferencing software on a daily basis, we are also giving people windows into our private lives. This can easily be avoided by using the virtual background feature on platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype. The background feature will hide an untidy room or simply keep your home private from colleagues and clients. Choose a beautiful home background or a workspace to get a change of scene and maintain privacy for you and your family or housemates.

Tags: covid, home, home background, Jobs, wallpapers, work, workspace

About the Author

Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.