We live in a day and age where working from home has become the preferred means of working, from both the point of view of companies and employees. Working from home is very good for the employees”health and productivity, and it is also a more affordable method of hiring people for corporations, as they don’t have to spend money arranging the workplace and fitting it for work.
Studies that Back up the Trend of the 21st Century
There is no doubt that more and more employees decide to quit their jobs and start their own home-based businesses or become creative writers, SEO professionals or web designers. However, it is also true that more and more companies prefer to let their employees work from home and monitor them using various computer programs. The reason for this migration is simple – more comfort, more money and more freedom. Add to this the savings on gas and the possibility to do whatever you wish with your time.
Researchers from the well-famed Stanford University have recently conducted an expanded study on over 250 employees of an important Chinese travel agency (here’s the PDF). All of the participants to the study had at least 6 months of activity in the company. Half of these employees started working from home over a period of 9 months, while the rest continued to work at the office. Both of these groups worked during the same time interval, from 9 am in the morning to 5 pm in the afternoon.
The results of the study were quite conclusive: while the performance of the group that continued to work at the office remained stable, the conversion rate and sale performance of the group working from home increased by up to 13 percent. According to the researchers, some of the reasons for this increase are a less noisy environment, less stress, fewer breaks and fewer days being sick.
After the test period was over, employees were given the option to choose between working from home and working at the office. Less than half of the employees working from home decided to return to the office. Typically, most of the highest-performing employees decided to stay and work at home, as they were confident in their capacity of not being distracted.
Another study published in the journal Sleep Health has revealed some astounding facts: employees who had the freedom to decide where and when to work experienced better sleep and had an improved quality of life. One of this study’s authors, Orfeu M. Buxton, concluded that “work should be inspirational, not detrimental to health.
All of these studies prove one thing – working at home is good for you. Here are some of the most important reasons why working from home is ideal for more employees.
Benefits of Working from Home
– Perfect for good people who can’t move: hiring remotely allows companies to tap into the huge pool of employees who have one big disadvantage – they can’t move. Hiring remotely allows companies from all over the world to hire some of the best web designers, workers or even managers, offering them a chance to prove themselves and advance in their careers.
– Increase productivity: it has been proven time and time again that, when done correctly, working from home makes people extremely productive. As a matter of fact, most remote employees work longer hours than standard in-office employees.
– Save time: working at home helps you save a great deal of time. No more bus transportation or driving half an hour to work. No more taking long cigarette breaks or spending precious minutes chatting with work colleagues. Working at home help employees focus more on their activity and less on other people around.
– Sleep more: working from home means no more waking up unnaturally early. Additionally, you get to enjoy a more flexible schedule and fewer distractions.
Drawbacks
Of course, working at home can have its own drawbacks. People who work from the comfort of their homes spend less time talking to others and are prone to various social distractions found on major social networks.
The Bottom Line
Even though working at home has its own risks, it is definitely the best option for confident people who believe in their skills and are ready to work extra if needed. Working from the comfort of your home is definitely good for you and is appreciated by the business community.