We were already moving towards more home-based working environments even pre-pandemic, and covid certainly sped up that process. While some businesses have decided to bring their employees back into the office, many have stayed with home based or flexible working, meaning more of us than ever now work from home. I work from home myself and had already done so for a number of years before the pandemic hit, and can honestly say I wouldn’t want it any other way. I work remotely as a freelance writer for a marketing agency, and also run blogs- which means I don’t need to leave the house to earn my income. Here are some of the benefits I’ve personally found to working from home. 

Less stress

Working from home means flexibility, which can mean less stress. You have your daily workload to complete, but as long as it gets done you can go about it any way you like. You don’t have a boss micromanaging you or breathing down your neck, which is great (although you do have to be self motivated for this to work). When you work from home, there’s no waking up at silly o clock in the morning, going out into the freezing cold and de-icing your car to get to work. There’s no crowded trains or buses to deal with, or having to wait until a certain time on the dot to clock out. I’ve personally found that this allows me to live a very stress- free life, which is something I appreciate enormously. So many of us are forced to fit our mood, appetite and body clock around a nine to five schedule that doesn't necessarily suit everyone. With flexible working hours, most people will naturally find they're less stressed.

I had my daughter in 2020, and since then have been able to transition back to work in an incredibly easy way. The flexible working combined with not having to physically leave the house has meant I've been able to get jobs done during nap times, in the evenings and generally just as and when I've needed to. It's meant I've got no large gaps in my employment history, I've been able to earn an income and keep my skills sharp all while raising a baby. I haven't had to put my daughter into nursery early and pay childcare fees and have managed to juggle work and parenting in a way that simply wouldn't have been possible with any kind of working environment. 

Less sick days

Is there anything worse than waking up when you don’t feel very well, knowing that you have to drag yourself to work? Knowing you have to sit there all day, doing what you’re told and looking alert too- it can feel like torture, even if you only have a minor stomach flu or a cold. But when you work from home, you don’t have to go anywhere or travel or sit around colleages trying to look ‘normal’. You don’t have to get dressed or plaster on a smile, you can bring your laptop to bed if you need to and work in comfort. For this reason, you rarely need to take sick days unless you’re very unwell. No one wants to use their days off feeling rubbish!

You can move anywhere you want

This was an unexpected benefit that worked out well for me. When you work from home, you’re not tied down to one area. You can move wherever you want, maybe you want a fresh start or perhaps you want to buy a home in a more up and coming area (checking the land registry prices on sites like http://www.mouseprice.com can help you work out where these are). For me, it allowed me to move to a new town with my partner (now husband!) Like most people these days, we met online, and lived in different areas. When both of you are tied to jobs in those areas it can make moving in together tricky, but in my situation it couldn’t have been easier. I was able to pack up and move, and bring my work with me! If you wanted to move abroad you could, or you could even travel the world while working. 

Working from home gives you flexibility in a way that any standard job never could. While work is a big part of our lives, there’s more to it than just this. Working from home frees up time for you to live in the way that you want, while still allowing you to fund your lifestyle. Do you work from home, or is this something you’ve ever considered? Are you hoping your company will encourage remote working, or would you ever apply for a completely remote position?