Insider Tips on Benefits of Home Office Jobs
Don’t avoid a job as a remote worker. It only sounds weird or scary because you haven’t done it yet. Take it from a seasoned veteran. You’re missing out. Benefits of home office work are big and unique. Things that aren’t possible to gain from a traditional on-site job.
Let’s start with your grueling commute. It’s a long way from the bed to the coffee pot to your desk. No rush hour traffic. No rude or insane drivers. No weirdos next to you on the subway. Imagine reporting for work without feeling harassed or freaked out. A zen beginning offers a good start to the day.
The good vibes might unravel when you check your email. Best practice? Enjoy half a cup of coffee before opening your inbox. The brain handles unwanted things better if you add caffeine first.
Speaking of coffee, you can sip it leisurely until the pot is dry. Your coffee, not that stuff the office has on hand. And just think of the time and money you save by not stopping at Starbucks every day. A few weeks into this adventure and you could buy your own latte machine.
No, the money saved by making your own coffee won’t pay for that latte machine fast. But add the fuel you’re not buying. Gas is expensive! Oil changes and tires last longer. Car insurance costs less. Do the math. It’s a lot of money per month. If you go to work by bus, train, or subway? Fares eat into earnings too.
That commute costs you more than cash. Your time has value. No one pays you for the hours spent traveling to and from work. Between traffic and miles, it’s safe to say many people reclaim 7-14 hours of their life working from home. Every week! A lot more spare time is huge. And it’s a dependable home office benefit.
Unless you’re a writer. A twelve hour day is common. But I can get those hours back by creating my own schedule. Working 40 hours in 4 days doesn’t fit the 9-5 plan. But many remote workers can do it. In fact, they prefer it. Having a 3 day weekend every week is a awesome. This might not work well with children to care for. That’s the beauty of being in charge of your work schedule. Make it what you need.
You might discover a hidden green thumb. Time for gardening is another benefit of home office workers. You can’t pop out and water the tomatoes at an on-site job. No one will know you did when your desk is at home. Instead of grabbing lunch out, you can eat organic homegrown salads and BLTs. Heart healthy. Diet friendly. No mystery ingredients. And you’re saving money again.
It’s a lot easier to clear your head if you take a break as needed. When you work at home you could take a jog around the block. It’s the perfect time to water those tomatoes. Or pull a few weeds. Spending 15 minutes doing something that doesn’t need a lot of thought works wonders. The change of scenery clears the mind. So does exercise. You might know the solution before you get back to your desk chair.
The home office dress code is extra casual. Comfort is in. Power suits are out. Pajamas are acceptable attire. You might have to look presentable for Zoom meetings or Skype consultations. But they can only see you above the desktop. You can spend that wardrobe and dry cleaning budget on something else. The attire police have left the building… most of the time. And you’ve just found some more money.
You can decorate your workspace to suit your taste. If you prefer the cubicle look, feel free to put your desk in a closet. But here’s your chance at having that window office. Daylight. Fresh air. An executive desk. Imagine how much more pleasant a work day is when your environment is more human-friendly.
It’s no longer necessary to move to earn a living. This area of benefits of home office jobs helps anyone. Moving to a new place is hard on kids. They lose their friends. Nothing is familiar or comfortable. Adjusting stresses them out. Why make parenting harder?
Even adults don’t always adjust well to a new location. What if you hate it there? What if you find no one is your kind of people? Life is short. Be happy. Live where you want to. But make sure reliable high speed internet is available and affordable. At your new address. Avoid satellite connections. You need unlimited broadband or cable service. Lots of areas still lack internet service your home office must have.
Hesitant about spending a lot of time by yourself? Remember, work is not a social activity. You do your job, then you socialize. You still have interactions with other people. But you can focus on your work instead of office gossip. That makes you more productive. Besides, friends are usually a lot more interesting. You can choose your friends, but not your co-workers.
Hopefully, you don’t worry about not knowing who you’re working for remotely. Do you really KNOW the people you work for in an on-site job? Seeing them isn’t knowing them. Long-term work from home positions allow you to get to know a person just as well. Perhaps even better since there’s no visual peer pressure involved.
Some people leaving the on-site job world worry about remote work being a scam. Most remote jobs are the real thing. You can usually spot scam opportunities. No one makes big money without experience anywhere. And making $10,000 a month? That’s a scam. Legitimate job ads are realistic.
Is there a possibility you won’t get paid? Of course. The same risk exists with any job. Not performing costs people their job every day. Not just employees, but whole companies. Businesses go bankrupt. Shady people are everywhere. Nothing in life is guaranteed. If you don’t like the job or the people you’re working for - find another job. Do some gig work while you look. Become a sub-contractor.
The benefits of home office working far outweigh the possible problems. On-site positions cost more than many realize. They eat up your time and your income. The person benefiting most from that is not you.