The start of a global pandemic made companies and employees focus their resources on a flexible working environment. That’s it to work at home, work remotely or telecommute. If you’re working in an industry where tasks can be made at home, or you’re an employer who is looking for ways to reduce operational costs, knowing these benefits will help you appreciate work from home setup.

For Employers

• Save on office space rental

Office rent expense is one of the most, if not the most, costly parts of running a business. Whether you make business or not, at the end of the day, you’re still obliged to pay landlords or real estate companies. If you’ve already made permanent work from home working arrangements or you’re sure you don’t need one or more of your staff to meet in person, you can already let go of your office space. Saving on rental space can reduce your risks of bankruptcy.

• Save on parking rentals

Some office towers charge their tenants with parking rental spaces. That could take from a few hundred to thousands in (your local currency). If you carry your vehicle and intend to stay in one place, such parking rentals can add to your rental costs. Also, think about valet parking services - these too, cost money per hour or a day.

• Save on travel expenses

Even you drive your own vehicle, you’ll still face travel expenses such as gasoline, toll and maintenance fees. Some company executives or those with high ranking positions have their own drivers. Hiring your own driver is an additional wage expense. 

• Save on utilities

Utilities such as water, electricity, gas and internet can cost hundreds to thousands of bills a month if you use them to serve your employees working at the office. By WFH, you’re also saving time from paying these bills. 

• Improved inclusivity

A work from home is set up is more egalitarian than requesting employees to perform tasks at a traditional office. If productivity is the same for working at the office and working from home, then it’s rational that remote work can benefit your business purposes and your staff. The following people and their conditions will benefit from this setup:

○ Pregnant women 
○ Mothers who need to take care of their babies
○ Fathers who need to take care of their babies due to being widowed or having working wives
○ People with comorbidities who need stay at home
○ People who have relatives that need medical attention and care. For example, a bedridden patient or ailing seniors
○ People who can’t afford the cost of living in cities due to higher housing rentals, transport, and food
○ Support people who have physical limitations such as being wheelchair-bound due to missing limbs
 

• Employees are more willing to do overtime

If you need your staff for some extra projects due to shortage of staff, you have more chances of motivated employees who are willing to stay late at night. Why? This is because employees don’t have to worry about going home late, queuing a long line before a bus stop or getting hungry after a missed dinner.

• Increased productivity and performance

Telecommuting increases quality output and decreases noise level, office politics, tardiness, and work disruptions due to issues such as internet disconnections and power outages. Working at an office can also make false positives on work performance that can lead to favouritism and biased decisions. Arriving early or leaving late may look nice, but remember, actual work output makes the true metrics of productivity.

For Employees

• Save on living space rental

Apartments, houses and condos make up most of the employees’ expenses. If you’re living in a condo unit, it’s likely that you’ll be paying from moderate to expensive rental fees. On top of rental, you’ll mind parking fees, security fees, and garbage collection fees. A work-from-home setup can reduce these expenses as you can opt to live in a different city or area that offers cheaper apartments or living spaces - regardless of its distance to your head office.

• Avoid stress from commuting and driving

Stress costs money and time. Stress involves getting early to arrive at work, queuing a line for the bus, and worrying about getting late. On top of that, you can mention worrying about arriving home late at night, facing bad weather and safety issues. Even if you own a car, you still have to deal with the stress of driving in heavy traffic.

• More time for fitness 

If you work in IT, accounting or any industry that usually demonstrates a sedentary lifestyle, chances you’ll have fewer physical activities. Since you’re working from home, you’ll have more time to walk, jog, lift dumbbells and prepare workout meals. The more you spend time in the office setting, the more you build your belly fat.

For Society and the Environment

• Positive environmental effects

Since the start of the pandemic, there was a decrease in CO2 emissions from vehicles. This benefited the city and suburban areas, and reduced toxic gases. This situation is a win-win solution for all. Without commuting and driving employees from home to workplace result in decreased greenhouse gas emissions - equivalent of taking 600,000 cars off from the road. Work from home also resulted in oil savings of more than a hundred million dollars.