Remote work gained significant traction when COVID-19 compelled businesses worldwide to send their staff members home to work remotely.
Yes, the rush to give employees access to all the tools they’d need to work from home was a bit, well, sudden for many employers. However, as soon as everyone got settled in, it became evident to many teams in offices that workers could be just as productive and focused—if not more so—while they were not in the office. Companies all around the world started to realize how effective remote work is.
Whether you’re on the hunt for a remote job or are already telecommuting, check out this list of the advantages of working from home, along with some of the top companies that hire for remote jobs
10 Advantages of Working From Home
As is well known, there are many benefits for employees who work remotely. Here is a list of the top advantages of working from home, some of which you may already be aware of and some of which may help you become even more aware of the benefits that remote work has to offer to employers, workers, the economy, and the environment.
1. Better Work-Life Balance
Flexible schedules are another benefit of many remote jobs; employees can start and end their days whenever they choose, provided their work is finished and produces high-quality results. Being able to manage your work schedule can be very helpful for taking care of your personal needs.
Working from home makes it easier to balance a variety of tasks, including dropping the kids off at school, running errands, attending an online fitness class in the morning, and taking care of contractors.
Flexible schedules aren’t the only options, however. You can also explore part-time remote jobs, evening jobs, jobs with four-day work weeks, and weekend job schedules to find your ideal fit.
2. Less Commute Stress
The average one-way commuting time in the U.S. is 27.1 minutes—that’s nearly an hour each day spent getting to and from work, and it really adds up. Every year, commuters spend approximately 100 hours traveling and 41 hours stuck in traffic, according to the Auto Insurance Center. Some “extreme” commuters have commutes that take an hour or more each way.
However, wasting time on the commute is only one drawback of traveling to and from work.Research indicates that traveling 10 miles each day to work is linked to health problems such as the following, and that traveling more than 30 minutes one way each day is linked to higher levels of stress and anxiety.
- Higher cholesterol
- Elevated blood sugar
- Increased risk of depression
Giving up the commute benefits both your physical and emotional well-being. You could use the extra time to concentrate on non-work-related priorities, such as getting more sleep in the morning, spending more time with your family, working out, or consuming a nutritious breakfast.
3. Location Independence
One of the considerable benefits of telecommuting is having access to a broader range of job opportunities that aren’t limited by geographic location .. In small towns and rural areas, where local job opportunities may be scarce, this can be especially useful for job seekers.
Before the pandemic, fully remote workers could travel and lead nomadic lives as digital nomads and still have fulfilling careers because they didn’t have a fixed place of employment. Even though living completely nomadic is currently on hold while borders become more open, it’s still a benefit.
Military spouses and other people who must relocate frequently may find it advantageous to work remotely from any location rather than having to start from scratch every time they join a new organization.
Furthermore, working remotely is a great way to avoid high-rent and high-mortgage areas, particularly for positions that used to require living in a high-cost city, like tech. You can now have a career you love without having to live close to a large metropolis thanks to remote work. (See jobs that allow you to work from anywhere).
4. Improved Inclusivity
Employers can promote diversity and inclusion through remote work by hiring individuals with a range of perspectives, socioeconomic backgrounds, and geographic locations. This is possible because recruiting isn’t limited to a certain area that everyone wants or can afford to live near.
Additionally, businesses choose to support diversity, community, and family by hiring workers who can work from home in the areas where they feel most supported and at ease.
People who might struggle to find a stable job at an onsite location, such as those with disabilities or caregivers in need of a flexible schedule, can pursue their career goals without worrying about making the long commute to an office by working from home. Additionally, it provides employees with the freedom to attend doctor’s and other medical appointments as needed.
5. Money Savings
A half-time remote worker can save about $4,000 annually. Gas, auto upkeep, transportation, parking costs, a business suit, out-of-pocket lunches, and other expenses can all be completely cut out of your budget. Your pocket is refilled with more money as a result of these savings.
Furthermore, the savings apply to more than just employees. Significant long-term cost savings will also be realized by the increasing number of businesses—including Facebook, Shopify, Square, Twitter, and Square—that permit employees to continue working remotely after the pandemic.
A typical company can save about $11,000 annually for each employee who works from home at least part of the time, according to Global Workplace Analytics. In actuality, FlexJobs has avoided spending over $5 million on remote labor for tasks like:
- Overhead
- Real estate costs
- Transit subsidies
- Continuity of operations
During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. employers are saving over $30 billion per day by allowing employees to work from home.
6. Positive Environmental Impact
Prior to the pandemic, 3.9 million workers worked from home at least half the time, which cut greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equal to removing more than 600,000 cars off the road for a full year. Those who work from home at least part-time save an astounding 7.8 billion vehicle miles annually, 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions are avoided, and $980 million in oil is saved.
Additionally, telecommuters have the potential to have the same impact on air quality as planting an entire forest of 91 million trees by adopting environmentally friendly decisions like using less paper and keeping an eye on their lighting, heating, and cooling systems.
7. Impact on Sustainability
Many sustainability initiatives are aided by remote work, including responsible consumption, sustainable cities, climate change mitigation, and economic growth with decreased inequality.
Reducing commuter travel is one of the easiest and most affordable ways for businesses and workers to lessen their carbon footprint and contribute to climate change. In fact, the pandemic response has already resulted in a noticeable reduction in pollution, traffic, and congestion worldwide, and being able to witness the effects firsthand may encourage remote work for all parties involved.
8. A Customizable Office
One great advantage of working remotely is having a cozy home office. You can customize your home office to your liking, whether it’s just a matter of getting a more ergonomic chair or having health concerns that necessitate specific office supplies.
9. Increased Productivity and Performance
There are typically less office politics, interruptions, loud noises, and less (or more productive) meetings when employees telecommute. When you take away the need for a commute, remote workers usually have more time and fewer interruptions, which increases productivity. This is a major advantage of working from home for both businesses and employees.
When implemented properly, remote work frees up both employees and employers to concentrate on what matters most: performance. Sadly, bias and favoritism can result from “false positives” that the office setting can produce. Ultimately, arriving early and departing late may appear to be more productive, but actual output is a far more accurate measure of productivity.
Additionally, employees who believed they might be more productive working from home were in fact more productive when working remotely, according to a 2020 FlexJobs survey.
A little more than half of those surveyed (51%) claimed that they have been more productive during the pandemic while working from home. When asked why they were more productive, many said it was partly because of quieter workspaces and fewer interruptions (68% for both).
10. A Happier, Healthier Work Life
Flexible, remote workers typically have higher levels of happiness and loyalty from their employers, in part because working from home has been demonstrated to reduce stress, increase time for interests and hobbies, and strengthen interpersonal bonds, among other benefits.
Without the politics and distractions that come with an office job, relationships between coworkers and managers can be more positive in addition to improving personal health and well-being. Employers who offer remote work to their staff report that it has a significant impact on employee retention (72% of employers). In other words, workers are more likely to stay with a company that offers remote work.
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