Before COVID-19 spread across the world, the number of people who worked from home was fairly small. Many companies were weary of having their employees working at home without managerial supervision. However, since the pandemic, there has been a dramatic increase in the number working from home. One study found that 61% of US workers choose to work from home, despite their office being reopened, and more workers may join this list. Let us see what the latest research says about working from home.

Many Prefer the Benefits of Working from Home

For some people, the opportunity to work from home is one they have embraced completely. For people with young children or those who live in remote areas, working from home is the ideal scenario.

There will be some that need to be trained to use the type of software needed to work remotely. Thankfully, there are also many articles online that can answer their questions such as what is a webinar platform and how can it help me communicate?

Most, however, will find the opportunity exciting and a great way to increase their work/life balance.

The Positive of Working from Home

There have been several studies conducted regarding the feasibility of working from home. Most of them agree that there are a number of positives to be had from having workers at home rather than in an office environment.

• Research suggests that productivity increases with those that are working from home. This is at odds with what many company bosses thought would happen, and shows that workers can manage their own time and get the work done.
• Stress is something that has been seen to drop when people work from home. Apart from the stress of work, external factors such as the commute and arranging childcare can also have a big impact.
• Working from home can create a more inclusive business as many people who cannot travel due to disabilities can still provide value and much-needed skills.

The Negatives of Working from Home

Many of the negatives about working from home are easily solved with the right working plan and good communication.

Staying connected to your team and your bosses is one of the biggest issues for remote workers. However, there are now many ways that everyone can communicate in real-time no matter where they are in the world.

Regular catch-up meetings both as a group and individually will also help keep remote workers in the loop and stop them from feeling isolated.

Good software that allows the sharing of files and other documents securely is now readily available which means anyone can access them without having to be in the same office building.

Internet speeds are also getting faster, so the old days of not getting access to the work systems are rapidly diminishing.

Final Thoughts

As with any job or working pattern, there are both pros and cons to working from home. However, that doesn’t mean that the opportunity shouldn’t be available to those who can do so successfully. In time, remote working may become the norm rather than the exception, so it is important to embrace the new workplace model sooner rather than later.