Advantages of Working from Home

The issue of working from home is not a new phenomenon, but it has been evolving over the years in the sense that more and more fields of occupation are embracing the system. The aspect of working from home have been increasingly attracting more professionals such as writers, graphic designers, architects and structural engineers, software designers, consultants among others. The reason for this can be attributed to the lucrative advantages that this system of working offers in spite of few limitations. The system enables the employees to enjoy the flexibility of working at their convenience as long as they meet the expected results. Its flexibility enables the employees to balance between home and work activities. Flexibility is also in terms of setting your environment of working such as temperature, lighting, and mood. It enables one to have time with his or her family hence a healthy family relationship. It is because a parent is always available to their children in times of need. It also applies to elderly care where one does not need to take their elderly family members to an elderly commercial care since they will always be available for them. It also saves on costs as well (Tietze & Musson, 2010). 

To the employer, therefore, it is a less stressful environment that ensures a quieter environment. The system also gives the employer power to transcend geographical boundaries in recruiting employees. It, therefore, enables the employer to acquire top talent employees around the globe. It entails stealing employees from your competitors without necessarily having to increase their pay. The research survey conducted by Microsoft white paper acknowledges the advantages the working at home (Major et al, 2002). 

The system also heavily cuts down on the hidden resources that are normally wasted in the process of moving to and from the workplace. The resources that are saved are commuting time and gas in case one has an automobile. Other costs include parking charges, car wear and tear. In addition, expensive professional wardrobe, as well as dry cleaning of them, can be avoided since one can use cheap casual clothing while working at home. In cases where the workplace is far away from home, the process of commuting normally has a lot of hurdles that ranges from traffic jam at rush hours as well as accidents. It leads to a decrease in productivity because of the time wasted, and also the employees reach at the workplace when their mind is already exhausted due to the stressful conditions on the road (Troup & Rose, 2012). 

One can also have a stressful experience at the workplace by bumping into unfriendly coworkers. Working at home, therefore, enables one to evade these stressful environments and incidences. Besides, it is not healthy to commute for about three hours every day. Hence, the time that is saved from commuting gives room to do other physical exercises such as walking after or before walks or rather joining a local gym at home leading to a healthy life. Working at home also provides a quiet environment free from distractions like less important meetings and unnecessary interruptions from coworkers. Working at home enables one to avoid such disruptions. It also provides a friendly environment that makes one comfortable with no supervision from the supervisor every other second and consequently, the level of production increases (Akyeampong, 2007). In conclusion, working at home is the best approach and should be embraced by employers because it is not only beneficial to them too but to the workers too and this leads to increasing productivity.

References

Akyeampong, E. B. (2007). Working at home: an update. Perspectives on Labour and Income, 19(3), 17.

Major, V. S., Klein, K. J., & Ehrhart, M. G. (2002). Work time, work interference with family, and psychological distress. Journal of applied psychology, 87(3), 427.

Tietze, S., & Musson, G. (2010). Identity, identity work and the experience of working from home. Journal of Management Development, 29(2), 148-156.

Troup, C., & Rose, J. (2012). Working from home: do formal or informal telework arrangements provide better work–family outcomes?. Community, Work & Family, 15(4), 471-486.