I wanted to make this video all about the benefits of working from home. I actually went to a luncheon with my coworkers, and we were talking about how great it is to be at a company that allows us to work from home. If you haven’t heard about 30 to 40% of people have actually been quitting their jobs, some of these companies are forcing people to come back into the office, especially jobs you can do from your house. And it’s been proven that you can do it from your house and still be productive and meet those goals that the organization and the projects have set.
No More Long Commutes
First one is for those who live in areas that have insane traffic. So the DC area has always been in the top three of the worst traffic in the United States. It is even a pain getting somewhere that during non-rush hour would take you 15 minutes. It takes probably even sometimes up to an hour. It is crazy. So being able to work from home and not have to deal with those long commutes is so lovely. I used to do one thing when I would see clients, and there was one client that would take me an hour and a half each way. So yes, I wasn’t driving the entire time, but still like I am someone who has never liked the Metro. And so, just having to go in the Metro where everyone’s crowded, and you feel like you’re in a sardine box, it’s not my favorite thing to do.
Being able to take the three hours a day that I was having to commute. There were some of my coworkers who would have to commute even longer than that, you can just either sleep in a little bit longer and as well as you’re able to sneak in working out, it is so nice just to have three hours of the day, you can use that time to run errands or anything that you want to do prepare for your day. That is something that you’re not able to do when you’re on a long commute, either you’re driving or even if you’re on public transportation. You can’t sit there and do the things that you can do in the privacy of your home. And so I am so happy that I have to deal with those long commutes, even before I was just going into clients.
I was going into an office full-time 10 years ago. Oh my God. The amount of time I spent in traffic could have been used in other ways. And also the other thing too, is I remember a report. If I find it, I’ll link it down below when everybody started staying at home, not like we want to. But, still, I’m just saying that when everybody started staying home and not having to commute to work the environment, the quality started getting better. So that’s another plus of not having those long commutes that people have to endure, especially in areas like the DC area. So that is one of the benefits of working from home. And you feel less stressed because if you’re like me, I am like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When I try for my sister, she does not allow me to drive when I’m with her because I get so upset with the crazy drivers out there, and now I don’t have to deal with it.
Work/Life Balance
I already said this, but the work-life balance is fantastic that I’m able to work. And then I’m able to go run errands during my lunch hour, I can go to a doctor’s appointment. And when you have to go into the office, usually you have to either request time off, or you have to rearrange everything because you basically have to take either half the day or the entire day, and having the ability to have a better work-life balance between doing everything I need to do for my home, as well as for my job is excellent without having to take time off or have to sacrifice the things at my house. And believe me, since I’ve been working from home, it has been nice not having to do that before that, when I had to go into the office, I had to make sure that I had enough time off.
I had to make sure that I could take time off without having to miss important meetings and with clients and internal meetings. And I will say that it has been nice just having that work-life balance. Also, I can have more time to exercise because I don’t have to have that long commute to have this moment for myself. And right now, probably more like this. So I will say that it has been nice not having to sacrifice one part of my life over the other.
More Time for Loved Ones
The other thing is that I can spend more time with my family and friends and hobbies. And that has been nice before when I had to go into the office. And this one of my kids was tiny; there were times that I would have to drop them off at six 30 in the morning or even earlier than that, and then pick them up at 6:00 PM. And I just felt like I never had time with my kids during the week. And then, by the time the weekend came, I was so exhausted that I just didn’t want to do anything. So it was tiring, and then the cycle would start back up again and just have that time with my family and friends and just have time to do hobbies. Amazing. And that has also been a great benefit because it doesn’t feel like I’m not seeing my loved ones like I did when I was going into the office.
Saving Money
Another perk is that all that money I was spending on gas, public transportation, and I’m not spending it anymore. And one thing is is that these companies like they don’t take that into account.
It’s not like if I have to go into the city a company saying, “Oh wow, we really have to think about the fact that she’s going into the city, so we need to offer her more money.” Nope. You get paid the same amount of money as if you were working five minutes down the road. And that has been nice. I feel like I have more money in my pocket because if you live in a place that has expensive as public transportation and is the only way to get somewhere without being stuck in the car for two-plus hours, you’re spending a buttload of money. I remember one way to, yet I was spending like $15 a day on my clients. So if I first started, I was going once a week, and imagine if I was going in five times a day, just having the ability to save that money, either put it in saving and invested or do whatever the hell you want with your money.
That has been nice that I’m not spending extra money on public transportation and gas. Now I think that I put gas in my car once a week. And yay for that. The other thing is that you also have to consider that if you’re using your car more, you’re also getting its service more. And that’s the other thing also when you’re commuting more to work. So that is also another benefit of not having to go into the office. And I already said like, I can exercise more, and it’s also the health, and it’s not just the physical health. It’s also mental health. I, I can’t say more than that. If I, during the middle of the day, if I want to go out for a walk, I can do that. And that has always been good for both health. For me, I feel like my mind is straightforward, as well as the fact that I’m exercising and just health-wise, it has been so much better.
Productivity
The other one is productivity. I work more when I’m at home than I am. When I’m in the office, I’m getting interrupted more. I can’t have that focus. Like I can stay at home. I can shut my door. So it was excellent. Being able to shut that time off and not having people interrupt you every two seconds. So that has been amazing for my productivity. I’ve always been pretty quick at working because, you know, not everyone works at the same pace, but just having the ability to focus even more. I’m getting my work done like this. So what is great about working from home is your productivity goes through the roof, and you really have to think about the type of person you are. Some people don’t like working from home, and that’s great for them.
I know other people who like to go into the office once or twice a week, that’s great for them. But then there are people like me who prefer to be at home the majority of the time. And I feel like many companies are just doing it to micromanage or feel like, oh, you can’t beat your, are you really working? They’re seeing if you’re idle on your, on your messaging. And I just think that’s so silly. Like as long as people are meeting their deadlines and they’re getting the work done, who cares what time they’re working when they’re working. But again, I’ve always been someone who doesn’t believe in that. As long as you meet my deadlines and it’s quality work, I don’t care. So, unfortunately, other people are not like that. And then you have these companies that are just wanting to look over your shoulder over two seconds.
And I just think that your employee turnover is probably very high at the end of the day and you don’t have the happiest employees in your company. So if you’re having to do that, if people have jobs where they can at least work from home once or twice a week, allow them to do that. I don’t see how that’s hurting you. And it actually has been proven that many companies which allowed them, that their employees were working a hundred percent at home actually did not lose any profit or even actually gained profit during this time. So there’s no reason why there’s such a push to get people back in the office. Okay. You’re paying that lease. That’s not the fault of your employees. Just let the end of the lease expire and then be done.
Let me know if you’re working from home. If you like it, do you like going into the office once or twice a week, nothing wrong with that?
If your people want to work from home and have a job that allows them to do it, how is that hurting you? That’s just how I feel about it. So I hope that everybody has a good day and I’ll talk to you later. Bye
