Working from home has become more widespread than ever before, and a lot of employees love it. With the remote networking tools now available, a wide variety of jobs can be done just as effectively from home. A recent survey of people involved in office-based work showed that a quarter of those interviewed said they’d even take a pay cut to be able to work remotely.
Not everyone wants to work from home, and there are some people who don’t enjoy working in relative isolation, away the buzz of the office. But the benefits for many are huge, as indicated by the surprising number of people who’d take a reduction in salary to work from home. Let’s take a look at what those benefits are.
Commuting Costs Money
Owning a vehicle can be expensive, and someone who drives to work five days a week will be sacrificing a large chunk of their salary. Consider the costs that car owners have to cover:
- – Payments, if they don’t already own the car outright
- – The cost of gas, which is always going up
- – Licensing and insurance
- – Maintenance and repair costs
- – Nodding dogs, large furry dice and other essential vehicle décor
Anyone who travels more than a few miles to work will be paying out significant sums, so using remote technology to work from home will deliver significant savings. For people who only use their vehicle to get to work and back, there’s the option of selling the vehicle and boosting the bank balance. This is why 25% of workers who prefer to work remotely would be willing to take a pay cut. What they would lose in pay would be compensated for by lower commuting costs.
Time Saving
Commuting takes time, whether the mode of transport is a private car, a bike or public transport. For people who are dependent on public transport, there can be buses that don’t show, trains that are delayed and other frustrations. Public transport may cost less than running a car, but it probably takes – or wastes – more time.
Time is a precious commodity these days. It’s been calculated that the average time people spend on travel to and from work is twenty-five minutes. That’s one way, so that’s almost an hour a day – and, of course, many people spend more time commuting than this. An hour a day adds up to ten days over a year – more than a lot of people get as vacation time. Who wouldn’t want to gain a week or more ever year? No wonder working from home has such strong appeal for our 25% who’d take that pay cut.
Commuting is Stressful
Whether it’s bad traffic or public transport that isn’t on time, commuting can be frustrating. Who needs those annoyances, twice a day, five days a week? In theory, all that ongoing stress can shorten your lifespan. Who wouldn’t want to extend their life and reduce their stress levels? Remote working means that you can cut out all the hassle associated with commuting. Of course, there’s another bonus too: who likes stepping outside on a cold winter’s morning, or standing at a bus stop in the wind and rain?
For many employees, working from home is ideal. There can also be benefits for employers. We’ll look at the benefits for employers in our next week’s blog. It’s important to realise that it’s a bit more complicated that setting up a home workspace and opening your laptop. It requires networking tools and a shift in your corporate culture.
The good news is that remote technology can make the transition simple. Quikteks can help you with communication solutions and networking tools, including VoIP and mobile computing. Your staff can work from home or, potentially, almost anywhere! For information about using remote technology to enhance your business operation, call us today at (973) 882-4644.