Working from Home: Why is it Not Utilized More? |
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 As a web designer, I have a job that, if my employer would allow, could easily be done from my home. I have on occasion had to stay home, usually in the case of sickness, and was able to get work done still. For me, I see many benefits to working from home, and often wonder why more companies like mine do not allow it more often. With my company, in the past, there have been circumstances where people have worked it out to work part time from home. And like I said, I have worked from home some while sick; but recently they have cracked down on working from home, which strikes me as odd (though I am sure they have some reason in mind for doing this).
As in times past, if I were feeling a bit under the weather, and not wanting to come spread anything at work, that would not be a problem if I were allowed to work from home. In my current company, I am only one of two people who do my job, and my co-worker and I actually have separate tasks for the most part. So if I am out, she is taking on things not normally on her list – meaning she may have to stop and relearn some tasks. If I were not stopped from logging in at home, the work flow could at least go on to a degree (handling the more important daily tasks would be beneficial). Working from home is also a big benefit if you have children. It allows you to be there when needed, yet still work. This is especially helpful when they are home sick. Many companies know some of the other benefits that come from establishing a work from home scenario for employees, which makes me wonder why more companies do not see the benefits. Working from home saves employees time and money: - Time: No longer is there the need for the employee to get up, hit the shower, get dressed, and drive however long it takes to get to work. My normal daily routine of getting up, showering, grooming, getting dressed, eating and getting to work can be accomplished in a bit over an hour. Add to that the commute home, and there goes close to 90 minutes a day that could be better used. Also, it would allow you to multitask and keep up with things around the house, saving time also - things like tossing clothes in the washer and dryer throughout the day.
- Money: Driving to and from work of course takes money; even if you use other forms of transportation, it adds up to extra money every day to get to work. Working from home saves that money. Clothing costs go down too, since no longer will there be the need to buy, clean and maintain work appropriate dress clothes. Money for food during the day can be a savings too. Add to that the fact that having employees work from home means no extra office space for that employee, it can save the company on overhead and extra equipment costs. So money is saved for both parties.
Of course working from home is only a good option if you have the right people on the job. Slackers will most likely take advantage of working from home, by goofing off more, so it is an option best fit for specific type of trustworthy workers, but can be managed either way. Telecommuting better fits jobs that are task oriented; ones where deadlines can be set to keep things moving. Overall, if the job can be done as well from home, it seems in this tough economy, it would be beneficial to implement such a policy where there currently is none. I for one would enjoy and benefit from such a policy where I work. What are your thoughts?
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Posted by: Nancy L
I contracted with the state of Georgia's programs to work from home for about 15 years. I am not a slacker, in fact, I had trouble leaving my office, when I was in it. I spent all day seeing clients and night doing paperwork. I worked hard on developing programs to make my work more efficient. The State workers doing the same job were obviously less productive, and they were always far behind in their work. To me, when I did work under state supervision there were so many distractions and playing around I had trouble getting my work done. To me, if you have a disciplined worker who you trust, if you can let them work at home, do it! You will have more efficient production, plus it adds to our eco system to keep more cars off the road. The internet has made so much possible that the number of people traveling to work should diminish. There are creative ways for a boss to keep up with an employees output, and if they are slacking off, back to the office!
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