New-Found Freedom: How Millions Discovered the Benefits of Working From Home During Lockdown
When the Coronavirus pandemic struck in the early months of 2020, it was impossible to anticipate the immense impact it would have on our working lives. As businesses packed up shops and introduced remote working instead, people all over the world began to discover work from home benefits.
As life slowly gets back to normal, it looks like home-working is here to stay. But if you haven’t yet experienced this unique, productive and balanced way of life, there are hundreds of opportunities out there waiting for you.
The Benefits of Working From Home
As you might imagine, ditching the office to work from home brings with it a whole host of advantages to consider. Here are some of the top benefits of working from home, and why you should consider making it a permanent part of your lifestyle.
Increase Your Work-Life Balance
Even before the pandemic, the buzzword on every business guru’s lips was ‘work-life balance’. The world was in a constant spin about discovering this apparently undiscoverable state of zen. However, when lockdown transformed our lives and more and more workers were sent to tap in from home, people seemed to find the balance they were looking for.
When you work in an office, it’s hard to say no.
You’ve got to have some monk-style self-discipline to pass on work drinks, expensive lunches and even staying late to catch up on your workload. For many hoping for a promotion or trying to build stronger relationships with their seniors, these optional add-ons become an obligation. As a result, it’s easy to put that work-life balance and your general sense of well-being on the backburner. During lockdown, 45% of people agreed that working from home was better for their mental health, and it’s pretty easy to see why.
When you work from home, the freedom to choose is restored. There’s no pressure to work later than you have to, and, if you’re not feeling your best, you can manage your hours better to suit you. Being able to go for an extended walk at lunchtime, enjoy a cheap lunch at home, or even hit the gym for some much-needed exercise are all advantages enjoyed by home-workers.
If you’re feeling claustrophobic in an office environment and you’re desperate to find balance, working from home could be just the solution.
Take Back Control of Your Time
Working 9-5 in an office might not sound that bad to some people. It keeps work and home separate and offers unlimited access to your colleagues when you need them. However, what people don’t consider about their office job is how long they spend actually getting there.
By cutting out that dreaded commute, people who work from home typically enjoy 105 hours of free time a year, as opposed to their office-working counterparts. That’s almost 4.5 days’ worth of time a year that could be spent with your family or enjoying your favourite pastimes.
Remote workers enjoy the luxury of not having to rush around in the morning. They simply wake up, take some time to start their day right, then get to work at their own pace. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
Freedom to Work From Anywhere in the World
Another great benefit of working from home is the power to work from anywhere. Whether it’s a coffee shop in your local town or from a beach in Barbados, there really are no limits when deciding on your ideal working location.
While going global might not appeal to you, working remotely allows you to choose where suits you best. If you’re trying to buy a house and need to move to a more affordable area away from the city, home-working is your ticket to doing so.
For parents or people with caring responsibilities, working from home can give you valuable freedom that an office-based career could never. When asked about home working, 86% of parents now want to work flexibly, compared to just 46% pre-COVID. People are discovering (and loving) the lifestyle that comes with working from home, and they’re not interested in giving it up anytime soon.
Additional Benefits of Working From Home
On top of the lifestyle benefits that working from home opportunities offer, there are a number of other perks to consider.
Working from home online jobs allow you to keep in touch with your employees, employers and colleagues — maybe even more than in the office. For some, online communication has actually made their working relationships better than ever. Whether you’re working from home in customer service, working remotely in admin, or starting an at-home business, the possibilities are endless when you harness the power of the internet!
The benefits of working from home really are endless. Thanks to lockdown, more and more employers are realising that remote work is not only better for employee wellbeing, but also improves productivity too.
If you’re convinced that working from home is the way of life for you, we’d love to hear from you. We’ve got some incredible working from home opportunities on offer at FM World that will allow you to take back control of your time and live a life that works for you!