Benefits if working from home

As we’ve long known, working from home has many advantages for workers. We’re exploring the best of the best benefits of working from home—some you may already be aware of, and some that may open your eyes even more to remote work’s impact on employers, employees, the economy, and the planet.

1. Better Work-Life Balance

Many remote jobs also come with flexible schedules, which means that workers can start and end their day as they choose, as long as their work is complete and leads to strong outcomes. This control over your work schedule can be invaluable when it comes to attending to the needs of your personal life.

Whether it’s balancing school drop off and pick ups, medical appointments, and household jobs, or joining an online fitness class 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

The average one way travel time in the UK is 59 minutes! That’s nearly 2 hours each day spent getting to and from work!  Imagine what you could do with that extra time?!

But the time wasted traveling to and from work is just one of the downsides –  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

Ditching the commute helps you 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. Location Independence

One of the considerable benefits of working from home is having access to  job opportunities which may not have been possible due to the location of the job, this can help to support people living in small towns and rural areas be able to work without relocating.

Having no set job location means that, pre-pandemic, fully remote workers could also travel while still having a meaningful career. Right now, this type of working arrangement is likely to be difficult due to travel and quarantine restrictions. But it’s a definite perk when things open up again.

People who have to move frequently, such as military wives, can also benefit from having a remote job that can be done from anywhere, without having to start over at the bottom of a new company with each move.

In addition, remote work is a great way to avoid high-rent and high-mortgage areas, especially for positions that used to require living in a city with a high cost of living. With remote work, you no longer need to live locally, to have a career you love.

Which moves us nicely on to the next point.

4. Improved Inclusivity

Remote work enables companies to embrace diversity and inclusion by hiring people from various different backgrounds and areas which in turn brings different perspectives, which can be challenging to accomplish when recruiting is restricted to a certain specific location that not everyone wants, or can afford, to live near.

And by hiring employees who can work from home in the communities where they feel the most comfortable and supported, wherever that may be, companies choose to support diversity, community, and family.

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

Research suggests that people who work from home half time can save around £500-£600 a year -petrol, car maintenance, transportation, parking fees, 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 will also see significant long-term cost savings.

6. Positive Environmental Impact

With Zero commute, far less office energy consumption – working from home seems to the best way to reduce our carbon footprint and to impact our environment positively.

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 Customizable Office

Being able to create a comfortable home office is an excellent benefit of remote work. Whether you want to use space already within your home such as a conservatory or create a work from home space separate from your home such as our EcoStudio garden buildings creating a perfect office space without the travel time or expense.

Check out our EcoStudio HERE

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9. Increased Productivity and Performance

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.

When done right, remote work allows employees and companies to focus on what really matters—performance. Unfortunately, the office environment can create “false positives” that can lead to bias and favoritism. After all, coming in early and leaving late may “look” like more work, but actual performance is a much better indicator of productivity.

10. A Happier, Healthier Work Life

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. Studies have found that working from home as created more loyal employees.

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.