Although companies are opening up and employees are returning to the office, for many, it will be a system that combines office and home working. Many people have been surprised to find that they have thrived working from home. But do they really know exactly what the benefits of remote working are?
With hybrid working models, some days can be spent at home and others in the office. This prioritizes both individual work and the social community, and employees’ work styles can be equally valued. To clarify why companies can still benefit from implementing remote working into their work structures, MyDesk presents an overview of the top five benefits of working from home.
Better work-life balance
A home office opens up the possibility of a better balance between professional and personal activities. A workday can easily be extended by two to three hours of travel time that is unproductive and generally leads to increased stress levels as well as other health challenges. This saves time and effort by working at home, and the relatively useless time spent on transportation can be spent on more rewarding and meaningful activities. When you’re not tied to the office, you have much more control over your day and how you prioritize your tasks, chores and interests.
However, for this balance to work optimally, a clear separation of work and personal life may be necessary, with specific rooms or areas dedicated exclusively to work for limited periods of time. Modern businesses can benefit from being organized around the skills and needs of employees so they can perform at their best, which for some is from their home office.
Increased productivity
Many offices struggle with disruptive elements such as noise, interruptions, forced coffee conversations, etc. If you need to immerse yourself in your tasks, these can be major challenges that can hinder productivity and quality of work, as well as lead to stress, lack of wellbeing and job aversion. Half a day of focused, in-depth homework can be far more valuable than a full day of inefficient, interrupted office work. By minimizing the constant interruptions, employees can focus on what’s important and gain a greater sense of satisfaction.
The home office can also be set up according to the person’s own needs, which can include everything from motivational wall decor to what kind of music they listen to while they work. These actions can be important to an individual’s productivity and can be difficult to fulfill from the office. Many people have found in the last year and a half that they have been working more efficiently and productively at home than they would normally do in the office.
Reduced expenses
Working from home has the potential to save a lot of money for both employee and company. By minimizing transportation, the employee’s costs for gas, commuter passes and tickets, snacks for the trip, etc. can be reduced or eliminated. For the business, savings can be made in areas such as desks, office supplies, cleaning, parking, utilities and rent, making remote working an extremely cost-effective option.
Reduced climate impact
The reduced driving caused by working from home has a significant climate impact with reduced C02 emissions and oil and gasoline consumption. With fewer people in the office, you can also use less paper, cleaning products, air conditioning, heating and lighting and reduce food waste. With the widespread attention that global warming, climate change, environmental awareness, etc. have received in recent years, remote working is a simple way for all of us to contribute.
Greater flexibility
Perhaps the biggest benefit and most important reason to telecommute is flexibility. If you’ve moved away from rigid structures with fixed working hours and spaces, it can be a big change to manage your own day. However, the freedom that comes with this process can prove to be extremely rewarding for the individual, allowing them to discover which work style suits them. Implementing flexibility is a personal and professional development process that ultimately leads to increased wellbeing and greater insight into your own values, strengths and needs.
The old one-size-fits-all model where everyone works the same is no longer relevant. Fortunately, many companies are realizing that the flexible approach to work life with individual customization is the way forward towards improved freedom, satisfaction and well-being for the employee and therefore profit for the company.
Remote working is here to stay
Whether you choose a hybrid modelWith everyone alternating between working from home and the office, or leaving it up to the individual to decide where they work best at any given time, there’s no doubt that remote working is here to stay, with several benefits that we’ve tried to outline here. MyDesk is the cloud-based flexible workplace management system that can be accessed from any platform, regardless of location, making it the safe choice for businesses looking to effectively implement remote working and hybrid arrangements and overhaul their office setup.
At MyDesk, we believe that work structures should be designed to accommodate the individual. It is therefore gratifying that many companies are choosing not to force all employees back to the office at the same time when reopening, in order to both continue to comply with social distancing initiatives and at the same time utilize the good experiences with working from home that have been gained over the last year and a half.
In the next blog, we’ll provide a guide on how to optimize and master homeworking for the best results.
If your business is considering how to adopt hybrid working models and flexible workplaces, contact Michael Ries at40279941/mr@mydesk.io for a quote and learn more about how MyDesk can help your business move forward.
