The restrictions put in place to contain the spread of the Covid 19 virus have encouraged teleworking. Although some companies already allowed this modality of work to their employees, most have found themselves trying remote work for the first time during the pandemic. Considering the extraordinary situation of confinement, many workers have been forced to carry out their activities from home without much preparation. As a result, for some, the experience has not been the most pleasant. However, teleworking has advantages for the worker. In this article, we review the most interesting advantages of teleworking and how to organize yourself to take advantage of them.
5 advantages of teleworking for the teleworker
Although teleworking has many advantages, we have selected some of the greatest benefits of this type of work based on the impact that teleworking has on the worker.
1. Facilitates family conciliation
Remote work, when it offers teleworkers the possibility of organizing their own workday, allows a better balance between work and family. One of the advantages of the flexibility that teleworking allows is, for example, to start and end the working day when it is most convenient for the employee. This is priceless if you think it allows you to capture your work schedules according to your personal requirements. Taking the children to school, going to a doctor’s appointment, or doing an online yoga class, everything can be managed more easily when working from home. Although not all companies or the type of employment allow this autonomy to the teleworker, the laws that regulate labor rights are also trying to catch up to facilitate the reconciliation between family and work life.
2. Reduce the stress of commuting
The time invested in commuting and the stress that it entails is one of the reasons for greater exhaustion among workers. Depending on the distance between your home and your place of work, this movement can mean spending hours of your day between going to and coming from work and the stress of being stuck in a traffic jam or having to take trains, etc. A worker who spends two hours a day going to and from work will have spent 40 hours in traffic or some form of transport by the end of the month. Think of everything you can do to save that journey! Prepare a healthier breakfast, exercise, read, spend more time with your family … In this sense, one of the great advantages of teleworking, in addition to being able to dedicate more time to other activities, is the reduction of stress that, without a doubt, improves your mood and it is beneficial for your health. In fact, there are studies that indicate the relationship between psychological stress and higher blood cholesterol levels.
3. Save money
If you have started teleworking for a while, you will have realized the savings that this entails. First of all, you will no longer have to spend on the monthly transportation voucher or for gasoline. But, in the long term, you will find that telecommuting offers even more savings opportunities:
- Car maintenance.
- Parking.
- Lunches away from home.
These are just a few examples of the expenses you can reduce or completely eliminate when working remotely.
4. Increase productivity
This benefit of teleworking could seem more like an advantage for the company, which will have more efficient employees. However, it is also an advantage for the teleworker. The reasons are related to the advantages mentioned above and the level of well-being that this work situation offers. The fact of not having to travel to the workplace, the flexibility to reconcile work and personal life, savings, and stress reduction are factors that have positive effects on your productivity.
5. It gives you the possibility to optimize the work environment
Workers who choose remote employment have a great advantage that is difficult for the clerk who works in an office. We are talking about customizing the work environment. Many companies have desks, chairs, inadequate lighting, standard computers that for some people are not comfortable and over time can become the main cause of physical discomforts such as tired eyes, back pain, or muscle tension. In your home, without the need to set up a customs office, you can create a more comfortable environment simply with an ergonomic chair and table. You can even make the workspace at home more enjoyable adding some plants, placing your work table near a window, and leaving some elastic bands handy for stretching during your breaks. These are definitely just a few advantages of telecommuting. Also, it must be clear that many workers have been forced to work from home from one day to the next due to the pandemic and probably see many inconveniences in teleworking. In fact, the lack of preparation added to the lags in social and family life experienced in these months have translated into difficulty concentrating for many teleworkers. And, if you working remotely has gotten off to a bad start, here are some tips to help you work better from home.
Reap the benefits of telecommuting (tips for rookie telecommuters)
Teleworking has many advantages when it is a choice, but if for you it is a situation dictated by needs or temporary, you can put into practice some actions to enjoy this moment more. We propose some small tips to improve your experience:
- Improves the brightness of the environment. Place your work table near a window and if your home does not have good natural lighting, use mirrors so that the light bounces and you have better lighting.
- Reduces sources of noise. If you can and like to listen to music while you work, this may be the easiest way to reduce outside noise. Otherwise, find the quietest part of the house and use carpets, layers of wood, or plaster to limit noise pollution from outside.
- Keep order. Organize your home now that you work from home and try to take special care of the area in which you work. An organized environment is more relaxing and helps you stay focused.
- Move. Teleworking makes life easier because it saves us travel time, but this can promote a certain tendency to a sedentary lifestyle. Staying active is more important than ever if you telecommute. Not only is it key to taking care of your health, but it is essential to clear your mind and improve productivity. Discover our ” Sport ” section and find the best exercises to do at home!
- Take care of social relationships. Something that is natural when working in an office, can be more complicated when teleworking and especially during the pandemic. Try to maintain relationships with friends and family even if they are virtual.
We hope you find these tips useful and that you enjoy the benefits of telecommuting. If you want to share your experience or explain what the great advantage of working at home is for you, we will read you in the comments!
