The Value to Employees in Working From Home
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Working from home is more common than ever, with technology continually disrupting the landscape of how and where we can do our jobs. While many benefits exist for the company who provides work-from-home set-ups, such as savings in overhead and 24/7 accessibility to key players, equally as many benefits abound for employees who choose the work-from-home option.

Following are 10 reasons why working from home is good for your employees:

1. Work-life balance.

Awaking at 3 a.m. for a sick child or arising early to take a pet to the veterinarian can stress out an employee who otherwise enjoys his job writing code or managing the finances of their growing company. However, with a (flexible) work-from-home environment, an employee can more fluidly navigate being pulled from both ends – home and work.

As well, working from home means an employee can break away for a rejuvenating nap should they need it, and they can recapture lost time by working a little longer into the evening from the comfort of home.

2. Health and fitness.

One aspect of a healthier lifestyle that working from home offers is the availability of home-based exercise circuits, whether it be as simple as a walk around the neighborhood or a jog through a local nature trail. As well, an employee can access their own custom food pantry to fulfill refueling needs and goals.

3. Project momentum.

Taking care of business instantaneously is a valuable, stress-reducing benefit when a devoted employee wants to stay on top of the details at any hour of the day. When a problem erupts or new details unfold on an important project, having a fully functioning office at home makes it easy to address things right now, eradicating worry and maintaining project momentum.

4. Cost savings.

Work from home days generally mean donning more casual attire. Wardrobe expenses and trips to the dry cleaner are reduced when an employee is permitted to wear shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops and work from the comfort of a porch or other converted space. This benefit can rack up thousands of dollars in savings for the employee.

5. Uninterrupted productivity.

By working from home, employees can set themselves up for quiet, uninterrupted work cycles; whereas, at the office, other employees stopping by their office and various office-wide activities often interrupt flow.

6. Time with your family.

Even if an employee is solitarily tip tapping away on their computer, knowing their spouse or child is nearby in the other room can be a calming force. For employees whose hours in the office rack up, more time to be around their family is a bonus.

7. Pet therapy.

Pets are therapeutic and can make terrific office companions. For some employees, being at home amid their furry, four-legged friends offers a layer of comfort that quells the stresses of the day.

8. Zero commute.

Working from home saves the costs of car maintenance and fuel. By expending only the energy of walking to and from the office, eliminating hundreds of dollars per year on automobile costs, and reducing the likelihood of other issues (traffic jams and fender benders), the employee’s bottom line benefits. As well, it saves commuting time.

9. Job satisfaction.

A sense of empowerment and freedom exudes from someone entrusted with a more flexible, work-from-home arrangement. Not only does this flexibility create more satisfied employees, but it can also increase employees’ enthusiasm for the company’s goals and ambitions.

10. Lifestyle flexibility.

Work-from-home offices sometimes translate into mobile offices, meaning employees can use their laptop to conduct key business functions in other people’s homes or office locations. For example, this can mean working from an aging parent’s home if they are needed there, as well as from other areas of the country – or the world. The flexibility of combining demanding work schedules with fluctuating and evolving personal lives is crucial for sustainably happier employees.

Bonus for introverts!

In addition to the reasons listed above, introverts may especially gain from the work-from-home environment. Because of their inclination for less-is-more social interaction, introverts often relish in the solitude and thus reap added benefits from the work-from-home option.

While working at home may not be feasible for everyone all the time, even the part-time possibility of a work-from-home environment is advantageous for employees seeking more harmony between work and personal life.