Does working from home result in greater productivity and happiness for employees and other people? Well, this is a common question that has been asked by many, owing to the emerging trend that has been much publicized over the past few years. Many people consider working from home to be a great option and this is not something that only affects freelancers but also people of different working backgrounds. Working from home has grown in all the different employment levels, involving not only designers and programmers but also people in management positions with different companies. There are many factors which have been cited as favoring this kind of an arrangement as would be discussed in this article.
The environment factor…
According to previously conducted surveys, employees who work from home have a higher level of happiness and productivity compared to those who have to report to the office daily. This can be attributed to a number of factors including the environment within which the workers found themselves in. For starters, the at-home workers do not have to contend with a noisy environment which disrupts their concentration especially when there is need to process calls. This simply translates into higher productivity and greater peace of mind. On the other hand, those who have to work from call centers and offices are always surrounded by a not-so-conducive environment, thus robbing them of the much required attentiveness when working on any project.
Personally, I used to enjoy working from home earlier when I used to work for Cerner. At that time, my boss was based in the US and we required minimal interaction with him. So I used to work from home once or twice a month but at that time, I didn’t have kids. Now I have two naughty boys which make it next to impossible for me to work from home. They will jump on me and force me to close laptop’s shield and play with them…
Other factors…
There also many other factors that will greatly favor the work-from-home idea. For example, many companies normally lose a lot of hours when workers have to contend with different elements every morning. During the rainy and stormy seasons, many workers are unable to report to the office on time and this will definitely affect their productivity. Allowing them to work from home will therefore eliminate such disruptions and deny them any excuse they could have for not delivering the desired results. Transport hitches and jam have also been cited as a major contributor to lateness for many workers who do not report to the office on time. By eliminating these, companies will be empowering their employees to concentrate more and focus their time towards increasing productivity.
Reduced expenses translating to higher savings for companies…
Working from home is not only a great phenomenon for workers but also for companies and employers. For example, companies that allow their workers to work from home have the opportunity to save on operation costs since they do not have to spend on office space and furniture. For companies with a huge number of employees, allowing them to work from home will translate into thousands of dollars saved annually considering that money that needs to spent on each worker’s desk, chair and space will be directed into other things. Productivity therefore does not only depend on what the company brings in but also what it is able to save in terms of expenses.
It is however worth noting that working from home does not work for everyone and this is a factor that companies and employers will need to consider. While some people might have the desired discipline to work unsupervised, many workers and especially the younger ones might end up being caught on other activities that do not benefit their employers and companies. According to research, workers with established social lives – married workers, older workers and parents find it favorable to work from home. On the contrary, younger workers have a greater connection with the office since their social lives are more connected to this kind of an environment.
It is easier to work from home if ones performance is being tracked and this normally include people who are employed on per-hour basis such as developers, proofreaders, call center representatives or those who have high self-motivation including senior managers and professionals. Companies and employees should be able to gauge their workers’ level of discipline to determine whether it is good to allow them to work from home. On the other hand, it will be good to allow workers to choose the kind of environment they are willing to work in and give them a few months before evaluating their performance.
Watch the video below from Prof. John Roberts, who teaches economics, strategic management and international business at Stanford Graduate School of Business. The video outlines an inventive study he conducted on call center workers based in China and shows why people working from home are more productive in their assignments. You will also learn some essential tips on how to approach your boss to allow you to work from home as you deliver great results for the company.
