4 Benefits Of Remote Work

On the 11th of March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a worldwide pandemic and instructed every country globally to implement lockdown protocols. As a result of this, remote work was implemented for firms worldwide.

Due to these protocols, workers around the world had to permanently switch to remote work until these restrictions were lifted. This changed productivity and working conditions as we previously traditionally knew them. 

 One example of this, is an article posted by Appolo Technical, whereby they state that several studies over the past few months show productivity while working remotely from home is better than working in an office setting. On average, those who work from home spend 10 minutes less a day being unproductive, work one more day a week, and are 47% more productive.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at 4 benefits to working remotely rather than on-site. 

1. Commute

Spending time commuting to the office is no longer an issue for employers, as employees can now start work as soon as they wake up. Employees now have access to their workspace as soon as possible from the comfort of their own homes. 

Whether it takes 5 minutes or an hour to get to work, this is no longer the case for remote work. Employees no longer have to rush to work in order to take part in their 9-5 office jobs. This also removes traffic on roads which decreases the risks of accidents and injury.

Employees also see some benefits to remote work, one of the main ones being saving money on petrol and decreasing their carbon footprint. Employees who do not have access to personal travel also see the benefits of remote work, as they do not have to worry about finding a new way to work or having to wait to carpool with other employees.

2. Healthy Working Environment

One of the main benefits of working from home is that you are allowed to work within your comfort zone. Instead of being stuck in a cubicle for 8 hours a day you are allowed to freely roam your own home without any worries. 

When working from home, you are also allowed to move your workspace around. Instead of being restricted to working in one office everyday, you can move to sit outside in your garden, set-up your computer near a window with a good view or even work from the comfort of your own bed.

When working from home, you are given the freedom to organize your workspace how you want it without having to worry about your manager’s approval.

3. Hobbies

Since you’re comfortably working from home, you will have more time to take up new hobbies. In your spare time when you feel like you’ve been sitting behind a boring desk for too long, you can think of taking up a new hobby. 

When you’re sitting in an office, you don’t really have the time to take up a new hobby as you are mainly focused on finishing your work tasks and doing the job you’re supposed to be doing, but when you’re at home you have free roam to work and relax as you please.

There are many hobbies you can take up when working from home, for example:

• Cooking
• Learning to dance 
• Gardening
• Reading 
• Gaming
• Exercising

Better Productivity

Working from home allows you to destress and work in an environment you are comfortable with. When you live alone, there isn’t anybody  stressing you about deadlines and criticizing your work (and if there is, you should probably consider moving out). 

Working from home allows you to set small goals for yourself when handling tasks. You are given the freedom to micro-manage tasks at a rate that you aren’t normally given in your workplace. Another big benefit to working from home is that you would feel more comfortable working overtime to finish certain tasks that you haven’t done throughout the day that you wouldn’t feel is a drag if you were to do them in the office. 

Conclusion

As we have stated, there are many benefits to working from home. You get much more freedom working from the comfort of your own home than a boring and bleak cubicle for 8 hours 5 days a week. 

With these points in mind, you should consider trying to persuade your boss to let you work from home more and give them the benefits of remote work as opposed to office work.

About the author

Sulaiman Mohamed is a marketing management graduate from Nelson Mandela University from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He is currently doing a digital Marketing internship through the International Institute of Digital Marketing. Find out more and get in contact with him via LinkedIn.