Many people work in jobs that are able to be performed, at least partially, from home. During the coronavirus pandemic, many people have found an increased need to work while limiting social interactions and working from home has become an ideal way to accomplish the goal of achieving social distancing. People that work from home often say that they find many advantages to remote work.
Working from home provides a unique ability to have control over how and when you schedule your work. Some jobs may require you to be logged in at certain times or to have phone availability. However, even if you do have these requirements, you will still have more ability to do your work in a way that works best for you. In an office environment, interruptions are always there, but at home, these interruptions will mostly come in the form of emails that do not require an immediate response. Interruptions to your workflow can typically be delayed and responded to on your time, making your workflow smoother and more efficient.
“Working from home” doesn’t necessarily always meaning working from your house. Maybe you want to work from a coffee shop or in a park with your phone as a hotspot. Working from home provides a unique opportunity to work in an environment that is most comfortable for you.
Another benefit to the added mobility of working from home is an increased ability to travel. While you will still need to maintain your productivity, taking trips and working from various locations around the country, or even the world, is possible. Every job is different, but many people that work from home are able to take trips with much less difficulty than those that have in-person jobs.
Working from home often allows increased flexibility with your daily schedule. People who work remotely are more able to run errands during the day, finish a few hours early to spend time with their families, and spend their time more in the way that they want to. Not every job that involves working from home allows this flexibility, but most will allow more control over your own time than if you were present in an office.
During the coronavirus pandemic, funny videos showing someone forgetting to turn off their camera during a conference call while not wearing pants are all over social media. The reason for this is that you can get as comfortable as you want while working from home – as long as you remember when the camera is on. Working from home allows you the freedom to wear what you want, work where you want, and do, eat, or drink what you want while you are working. The increased comfort of working from home is very appealing to many.
Office lunches, buying your coworker’s child’s Girl Scout cookies, gas to and from work, and coffee on the way in are just some of the examples of the little expenses of working remotely. You may not even realize all the small ways that you spend money while working remotely, but they do add up. Working from home helps you avoid these little daily expenses and save money.
For those in big cities especially, avoiding the stress and time of a commute can be huge. Even someone who works a normal weekday schedule and only has a ten-minute commute each way will spend over an hour and a half each week commuting. Someone who has even this short commute will still spend over seven hours a month driving to and from work! Working from home will save the time of commuting and can reduce the stress of fighting traffic and trying to get to work on time.
Even while working from home, you may find it difficult to manage your workload in your home environment. There are distractions that you will not normally have in your home environment, and it can be difficult to keep your work life separate from your home and family life. Some people may even find the initial transition challenging and overwhelming. While working from home can present its own unique set of challenges, most people find that the benefits outweigh potential downsides.
Transformations Treatment Center is one of the nation’s premier addiction recovery centers. While addiction recovery is one of the core components of what we do, we also help to provide support and assistance to people who may be going through emotionally difficult circumstances. If you are struggling or feel overwhelmed about a recent transition to working from home or other recent social changes, then we encourage you to reach out to one of our understanding team members who can help and support you.
