Most of us know at least one person who works from home. And if you don’t know someone personally, chances are, your favorite bloggers are stay-at-home entrepreneurs.
And while this sort of lifestyle certainly seems like the perfect scenario, is it something that will last? Is it worth investing in, or is it better to stick to traditional office spaces?
Mompreneurship Proves That Productivity Doesn’t Require a 9-to-5 Job
Some mothers choose to return to their jobs after having children. And naturally, their children stay in daycare centers, preschools and eventually grade school. This way, the mother can give her undivided attention to her career.
Mompreneurs are proving to us that you can work a successful business from home, even with kids in tow.
How in the world do they make this happen? They may not be able to give eight hours of focused attention to their work. Instead, they might only have two, but they make the most out of every second available to them. And they are surprisingly productive.
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Building Your Own Online Business Has Never Been Easier
Starting your own business is never “easy”, but the option sure is becoming more and more accessible to individuals seeking to change their lifestyle and be their own bosses. You no longer need to hire a web designer when you can easily create an account with sites like Square Space and Wix.
There are also endless tutorials, online business schools and bloggers sharing everything they’ve learned (and are still learning) about building a successful business from home.
Are Remote Workers More Productive Than In-Office Employees?
Since working from home is a relatively new situation, there haven’t been too many studies to compare productivity levels between office and home employees.
However, this study, which analyzed China’s largest travel agency, Ctrip, found that the employees who worked from home were 13 percent more productive than their office counterparts.
The employees who worked from home said they had much higher work satisfaction and weren’t as burnt out. This lead to a 50 percent lower turnover in the work-from-home group.
Working from Home is a Growing, Global Movement
Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs reported that in the last ten years, there’s been a 115 percent increase in stay-at-home workers. This means that in the United States, there are now close to four million home-based employees, up from 1.8 million back in 2005.
While it’s a growing trend throughout the world, the U.S. has the highest percentage (3.1 percent) of home workers.
Working from Home isn’t Just for Moms
There’s this misconception that the only people working from home are stay-at-home moms, who run a successful blog and offer webinars and artsy products on their Etsy shop.
And while there’s nothing to be embarrassed about when it comes to building a successful home business in these ways, this isn’t the only way people earn an income from the comfort of their home.
Working from home employees includes high-level jobs for many professional niches.
For example, you can find many people with management positions, or employees working within the scientific, technical, information technology, medical, health, government, and finance fields all working from home. What’s more sales, training, customer service and education are all moving into the home, too.
Top Jobs Are Now Home Jobs
Forbes included many high-profile companies to their long list of businesses that offer remote work.
Just take a look at some of the possibilities: Amazon, Xerox, Hilton Worldwide, Kaplan, Lenovo, Dell, IBM, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Commerce, Citizens Bank, and the American Heart Association.
Having More Stay-at-Home Employees Has Many Benefits for Both Employer and Employee
Besides being able to wear comfy, casual wear while working for the U.S. Department of Commerce, there are many other notable benefits for both the company and the employee when it comes to working from home. Here are just a few:
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Employees can save up to $4,000 each year
On average, the cost of traveling to and from your job can cost close to $4,000 annually. Highway tolls, parking fees, gas prices, and public transportation, as well as car maintenance, are all expenses that the private individual must absorb. While working from home, you can easily cut out these costs.
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Business can save up to $11,000 a year when an employee works from home
When a company doesn’t have to pay rent for an office space or provide furnishings, office supplies and amenities for their employees, they can save a significant amount of money each year. For some companies, savings can be close to $11,000 per year.
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Improved Work-Life Balance
The average employee spends a lot of time commuting. What’s more, this can be a stressful time, when you take traffic jams and rush hours into consideration. For people who work from home, they don’t need to spend so much time getting so little down.
Instead, they can use the time they would have spent commuting to increase their health and wellness with activities like sports, yoga, rest, leisure and relaxation.
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Working from Home Supports Single-Parent Families
Incomes are not optional for single parents, and remote positions are a viable option for them to not only meet their family’s needs but to also dedicate time and energy into their careers.
Because the traditional family structure has changed, it’s no longer unusual for a single parent to be financially responsible for an entire family.
An Increase in Co-Working Spaces Provides Remote Workers with the Office Buzz
Remote work is a business change that’s here to stay. Nonetheless, it can be difficult for some individuals to work in solitude all day. Coffee shops like Starbucks may have been the first co-working spaces, but now, there are specific facilities designed for remote employees. They accommodate freelancers, startup companies and corporate employees.
Statistics gathered by Forbes, Deskmag, Kap Design and the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 90 percent of remote workers felt more confident when they co-worked.
Working from home can offer many employees a legitimate and serious position, while also making room for a more balanced lifestyle. What makes remote work appealing to you?
