Working from home is becoming the new normal. Businesses are discovering the cost-saving benefits of having a distributed workforce that can be closer to their customers, and employees are finding ways to recoup time that was otherwise spent commuting.
There are some who say that a remote job robs you of the ability to collaborate with coworkers, and some people do find that they just aren’t cut out to work from home. For many, though, there are distinct benefits.
An Astonishing Productivity Boost
That’s how Inc. Magazine sums up the findings of a recent study by Stanford University. According to the findings, there’s a productivity boost among telecommuters equivalent to an entire day’s work. The study also found that those who worked from home actually took shorter breaks, had fewer sick days, and took less time off. Less of them quit their jobs, too.
CNBC reports that the national average one-way commute is 26.1 minutes, meaning that we can spend over 200 hours a year – or about nine days – in a car on the way to and from the office. That’s one of the biggest benefits of working from home. No more commute.
Regaining Your Health and Your Time
Technology advances like cloud computing have made it possible for employees to be connected to all the office-based resources they need. And doing away with the commute and regaining time lays the platform for a handful of surprising additional health benefits.
You may have regular check-in calls or even use productivity platforms like Slack to stay in touch with coworkers, but for the most part, you are not necessarily bound to an office hours routine. Many remote workers choose to adjust their working hours so that they can spend more time with family members.
Working from home also means that you won’t have to pay for transportation costs associated with the commute. There are other expenses that can take the place of commuting, though. It’s likely that you will have to set up a home office. It’s a misconception that any old room in the house will do – or that you can just work off the end of the dining room table.
The most productive remote workers establish a specific room in the house. It then does not get used for anything else. This is important both for productivity and for the ability to use it as a tax deduction.
If you’ve got the room on your property, consider a prefabricated metal building kit. The benefit here is that you can create an actual separate office for yourself, and still have plenty of room for anything ranging from storage for your boat or ATV to creating the spacious garage and workshop you wish had always been a part of your home. Take a look at our galleries to see what’s possible.
