Benefits of Working From Home

12 Benefits of Working From Home (And Tips For Succeeding)

The benefits of working from home are very real for both employers and employees. However, you have to look at them from different perspectives to truly understand and appreciate how they can benefit businesses.

In this article, we talk about why companies should consider transitioning to a work-from-home model and what are the key benefits of this work model.

6 Benefits of Working from Home for Employers

There is a lot of discussion about the benefits of working from home for employees, but rarely is it mentioned how it benefits employers and companies.

There are a number of benefits to adopting a work-from-home culture in your company, the following six being the biggest:

1.Positive impact on the environment

FlexJobs conducted a study before the pandemic in which they calculated the amount of emissions avoided by employees working from home. The analysis of the results from over 3.9 million workers was very promising:

• A total of 7.8 billion fewer kilometers driven

• 530 million fewer car trips

• 617,000 fewer cars on the road

• $498 million fewer traffic accidents, $980 million less gasoline costs

• 3 million tons fewer greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere

In the United States alone, there are an estimated 4.7 million employees who work remotely, and this trend may only grow.

2.Tighter communication

Even when employees are no longer in the office, they can stay connected. A variety of today’s communication tools provide employees with the access and availability necessary to stay connected even when they are not in the same location.

Employers can provide their employees with centralized communication centers, video conferencing, messaging apps, file sharing services, and visual collaboration tools such as virtual whiteboards and sticky notes.

3.Larger talent pool

Employers are no longer limited by local talent pools. Employers who have a work from home policy can hire employees from across the country or around the world. The global talent pool is vast, and employers can find the perfect talent no matter where they are.

For this reason, hiring processes and applicant experience are of great importance. Your company needs streamlined processes to find, track and hire candidates and seamlessly convert them into talent – ideally with the click of a button.

4.Higher job satisfaction

Employees who work from home are happier than employees who work exclusively in the office. There are a variety of reasons for this, but the main one seems to be the elimination of commute time.

As an employer, satisfaction is often clearly linked to overall productivity. Ultimately, higher levels of productivity correlate with company success, employee retention and higher engagement. Simply put, it’s a win-win for everyone.

5.Lower overhead costs

Employers who employ exclusively remote workers don’t necessarily need to rent a large office space to fill it with employees. Small businesses or start-ups in particular can save a lot on rent, utilities and insurance costs by letting their employees work from home.

The average overhead costs of a small business in the UK are around 20-30% of its gross revenue. As a business, you will save a lot of money if you choose to invest in a fully remote workforce.

6.Checking biases

When you let employees come into the office, you might be evaluating things that don’t really matter. How “visible” the employee is, whether they come to the office early and leave late are just a few things.

When employees work from home, measure their success solely by their productivity and performance. This can help remove bias from the performance process by focusing only on objective performance.

Employees who were productive in the office will also be productive at home; Your superiors will simply be able to recognize this more easily.

6 benefits of working from home for employees

Employees enjoy many benefits when they work from home. The following six are the ones that have the biggest impact…

1.Better work-life balance

The beauty of working from home is that employees can create their ideal schedule. This can be different for each employee – some work their schedule around children or caring for a family member. For most employees, working from home offers a better work-life balance through flexibility.

2.Less stress when commuting

Did you know that the average commute time for a UK worker is almost an hour? Commuting is one of the main reasons for employees to work from home, and the benefits are clear. Less time commuting, less money spent on gas or public transportation, and happier employees who can stay close to home.

3.Location flexibility

Employees who work from home are, in most cases, location independent. They can choose where they live and still want to do their work. Employees can choose cities with cheaper rent and/or more pleasant weather.

4.Comfort

Employees working from home may be more comfortable than in the office. If they have a cold, they can make a cup of tea, wear comfortable clothes and still work productively.

5.Health and Nutritional Benefits

Employees who work in an office usually buy their food, but when they work at home they can prepare their own meals. You can prepare better and healthier alternatives than the office-bought foods.

6.Set up your own office

A standing office might be a bit overkill for a normal office environment, but it’s perfectly fine at home. Employees have the opportunity to customize their home office and create the best possible work environment.

Best practices for working from home

Although there are many benefits to working from home, there are also some challenges that both employers and employees should be aware of:

• Make sure there is a dedicated workspace

When you’re at home, it’s easy to get distracted: laundry, lunch, kids, etc. Make sure you have a dedicated space where you just work.

• Set working hours (but still allow employees flexibility)

You should set daily working hours during which employees must be available for contact, communication and meetings. This can be 2-3 hours per day. The rest of the time, you should give employees the opportunity to create their own schedule and they will repay you with high productivity.

• Maintain a professional atmosphere

When working from home, it’s easy to lose the line between life and work. For this reason, employees should continue to dress appropriately for work. This way you can differentiate between work and leisure time.

• Make sure communication works

Set up a system for communication, tracking and follow-up when working from home. Apps like Slack and Zoom can be very helpful.

Is working from home right for your business?

Working from home represents a change for every business. To better manage these changes, consider a comprehensive HR software solution to help you manage your employee data, streamline your processes, and maintain a top-notch Security supported.

IceHrm can help your team improve their HR work now and in the future. Speak to one of our HR experts today to discuss your issues and learn how cloud-based software can help solve them.