5 health benefits of working from home

17 Feb 5 health benefits of working from home

A reduced on-site workforce allows a smaller physical footprint to be maintained with the inherent cost savings this brings (up to 77% in some studies [10]). Coupled with increased productivity of remote workers remote working stands to increase financial viability. Employment security enhances job satisfaction, loyalty and wellbeing, which again positively impacts productivity whilst reducing staff turnover [9,11,12]. Many respondents reported increased productivity as one of the top three benefits of working from home. Just under half of homeworkers felt it gave them the opportunity to develop new and better ways of doing their job (49%). Some felt the reduction in meetings and more efficient communications using technology helped their effectiveness.

• Reduced stress and enhanced wellbeing could ease healthcare demands and maximise the productive workforce.
• Therefore, below, we’ve outlined 7 key personal benefits of remote working, and the tangible health benefits it provide.
• Working from home may have a negative impact on the support they need to do their job.
• A growing number of companies are turning to EORs, which do not require upfront capital or in-country expertise and allow for employee onboarding in days instead of months.
• Without worrying about dirty looks from neighbouring desks, fearful of catching what you’ve brought with you.
• This can be over an hour each day [6], more in larger cities, often at significant cost funded by the individual.

Another concern raised by the report was that in-office workers tended to report higher rates of having a good work/life balance (72%), feeling fulfilled by their work (72%), and being proud of their work (84%), than their counterparts. Many remote workers shared that poor separation between their workspaces and living spaces contributes to a feeling of poor work-life balance and a lower sense of fulfilment at work. A side-effect of the pandemic and government-mandated lockdowns was accelerating https://remotemode.net/blog/how-remote-work-can-benefit-employees-and-companies/ the shift towards the international remote workforce model. Now, companies can employ people for knowledge-based roles who live far outside the commutable distance of their office. A 2020 report by Cultural Shift has found 54% of employees confirmed remote work has had a positive impact on their work life balance and 28% have said working from home has had a positive  impact on their mental health. Hybrid work allows employees to have greater flexibility in choosing where and how they work.

How to Double Your Team’s Productivity with Time Management

It also aids the reduction in absenteeism by monitoring employee attendance, so they know when and where employees are working and can track missed hours. A post-pandemic study from 2021 found that employees who work from home have tended to experience a reduction in psychological and physical stress responses (though a rise in presenteeism was also noted for full-time remote workers). When working remotely, employees can manage their own workload and factor in breaks to keep themselves focused. The next most valued benefit was the increased flexibility in working hours and greater independence over the ways they worked, with 62 per cent of respondents stating they loved the autonomy of working from home.

• In addition, 39 per cent reported that they would prefer to work remotely all the time.
• Face-to-face interactions facilitate strong and sustainable working relationships and offer teams a sense of community and support [4,14].
• This morning, I was struggling to concentrate and feeling generally a bit sluggish.
• By taking a more flexible approach to working location, you increase your potential for improved workforce diversity.
• When employees are remote, you need to work harder to maintain a strong employer-employee relationship so that if any problems do arise, staff feel comfortable to come to their managers for help.

They also noted that 55% reported working longer hours, increasing the work they get done. Another study by a California based company Prodoscore revealed a 47% increase in worker productivity through remote working. Some employees might prefer the routine and structure that working in an office environment provides them.

Remote Work and Well-Being: Separating Fact from Fiction

If the NHS, its leaders and staff can continue the evolution that has been started during this pandemic, a change from traditional working structures and ethos may be possible, for the better. Self-discipline is as important as access to a physical space away from distractions. Remote working with no commute also enables greater flexibility in working hours compared to the restrictions imposed within traditional workplaces. Being able to define a working pattern increases employee autonomy and provides better work-life balance, which increases job satisfaction and organisational loyalty [9]. Studies show that morale in companies with flexible working is increased by up to 90% [2].

Whilst all forms of media provide information, understanding and cohesiveness, face-to face interaction predictably provides the most social cohesion and is, without question the richest form of communication [14] (Figure 2). We have dedicated advice pages to help your physical and mental wellbeing whilst working from home but also on areas such as winning work or navigating the tax system. And to help and support you through all the challenges that https://remotemode.net/ can come with becoming self-employed, from chasing late payments to being able to work through power cuts and other emergencies. The overwhelming majority of freelancers (84%) reported that remote working positively enhances their overall freelancing experience. Interestingly, respondents aged 45 years and over were more likely than those aged to spend more than 75 per cent of their typical week working remotely (68% compared to 51% respectively).

Zero Commute – Health, Cost and Environmental Benefits

Managers may find it difficult to track the hours their employees have worked and monitor employees’ productivity levels. Factorial’s time tracking software efficiently and effectively solves any remote working related problems that arise. With our time tracking software, managers can see how many hours their employees have worked, as well as being able to undergo shift management , by viewing people’s time off and who is working remotely. This time tracking software enables employers to track employees’ working hours daily and approve or reject their timesheets to better manage employee productivity.

• I now start every day with exercise to ensure that I’m staying active (thanks to the multitude of online exercise tools available), and find that it’s given me more energy and a newly discovered love of running.
• Ideally, a combination of face-to-face interactions, certainly at the start of new teams or projects, alongside regular wellbeing reviews, will support those in flexible working and enhance its benefits [4,14].
• Looking at gender reveals that male freelancers were slightly more likely to have worked remotely in the past 12 months compared to female freelancers (82% compared to 77% respectively).
• Also the fact that employees are working in isolation there is less chance of infections spreading as would be the case within an office environment.
• They can work from home on certain days and come into the office on others, creating a balance between the benefits of working from home and the benefits of in-person interaction.

Finally, hybrid workers may be able to take advantage of the benefits of physical activity during the workday. Remote workers may be more sedentary than office workers, but hybrid workers can incorporate physical activity into their workday by choosing to walk or bike to work on in-office days. Even small amounts of physical activity can lead to significant health benefits, including weight loss, improved cardiovascular health, and reduced stress. Without the daily commute and running around from A-to-B in the office, it can be difficult for remote workers to stay active. This can not only impact physical health but can also have a huge effect on mental wellbeing, as exercise has been proven to reduce anxiety and depression.

How to maintain good wellbeing?

However, in moving away from an office environment, remote workers may experience feelings of isolation and struggle to maintain a work-life balance. Where an office provides a clear physical distinction between work and home life, working at home can lead to staff struggling to differentiate between work-life and home-life. This may lead to employees finding it difficult to know how to switch off from work leading to longer hours, increased stress and inevitable burnout.