5 Benefits Of Remote Work

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We may earn money or products from other companies mentioned in this post at no cost to you!

The pandemic has certainly disrupted our lives in so many ways, without question. One of those ways is the long debate about office vs. remote work.

I know from personal experience that I and some of my younger colleagues were advocating for more flexibility in regards to remote work. We were in sales positions and expected to be participating in activities outside the office. Yet, if we weren’t in the office between 8-5, there was this perception that those people were just “slacking off”. Fighting to get personal laptops in order to be able to work just from other company offices was a battle!

Well, the pandemic has forced this shift into the corporate world. According to Bloomberg, employees are choosing to quit instead of returning to regular office life!

Here are five ways that remote work is beneficial to you, financial and otherwise.

#1: Transportation Costs Aren’t Necessary With Remote Work

The most obvious financial benefit is the costs of commuting. That’s your gas, wear and tear on your car, and even insurance is higher when you’re commuting more.

And because I’m an analysis nerd, I even found a commuting calculator for you here! If the average miles a person commutes one-way each day is 16 miles, and the average price of gas is $3.00 per gallon, that’s over $1,000 per year alone for gas. When you factor in the other costs, it’s almost $4,700!

Now, if you were doing a hybrid work schedule and going in to the office maybe only 2 days, those numbers drop to $438 and $1,867, respectively. Wow, that’s like giving yourself a raise!

#2: The Costs Of Eating Out

Even if you tend to bring a lunch from home, you’re still more likely to buy a coffee or other food when you work in an office. You’re also more likely to attend happy hours with co-workers in an office setting. While this may sound very anti-social, I think people underestimate how much they actually spend on after hours outings.

It’s also nice being able to walk in your own kitchen and make your own food. That kind of perk is not usually available in an office setting.

The intangible benefit of at-home lunch hours is being able to see your family during that time, as well.

#3: Not Spending As Much On Clothing

When you work from home, there is less need for a large amount of office attire. Yes, you should still have office wear for the in-person occasions or video calls, but you wouldn’t need as much.

According to Business Insider, they suggest you spend 7% of your income on your business wardrobe. That seems a little high to me, but the point is that you do have an additional clothing expense when you’re working in an office than if you weren’t.

If you’re operating through video calls, you may only need to ensure that your top half looks presentable for the office setting. As a woman, maybe you have dresses that are too short to be appropriate office attire, but they’re perfectly fine if someone is only doing video calls. Your wardrobe can do more double duty!

Somewhat related is the cost of makeup. I would put on mine twice almost every day because I’d go to the gym in the middle of the work day. Now I can get ready after I do my workouts!

Think about it- there’s even less wear and tear on your shoes!

#4: Quality Of Life With Remote Work

Speaking as a millennial, I can say that our main priority for pushing for remote work: TIME!

I’m sure we’ve heard those crazy stories of people living in California who will commute 2 hours… ONE WAY! While most of us have maybe up to an hour commute one way, not having 2-hour commutes every day is obviously an upgrade on your quality of life and mental health, not to mention your time.

Speaking of time, isn’t nice to be able to take a 5 minute break to switch laundry to the dryer, or unload the dishwasher, and NOT have to wait until you get home and you’re tired? Or you forgot to defrost meat for dinner before you left for work in the morning, but wait! You’re at home, so you can run to the freezer and set it out now.

#5: Geographical Independence

If you’re able to be completely remote from your office, you now have geographical independence!

You could possibly move you or your family to a completely different location instead of basing your home on where you work. This can have some significant benefits if you move to a place with a much lower cost of living!

(If you’re in Canada or wanting to move there, my friend at Bear Money Blog has highlighted some awesome Canadian cities you could live in with your newfound geographical independence!)

If you’re not able to be totally remote but have a hybrid schedule (some days in office, some remote), you still have a little geographical independence. You could be with your family on an extended vacation and, as long as you have an internet connection and laptop, you could still complete your work. How great that you don’t have to cut a vacation short since you don’t have to return to an office!

The Supposed Disadvantages Of Remote Work

I understand to a degree how management feels about not having workers in the office: they feel the only way to ensure productivity is by being able to walk out and see their employees working.

However, from experience, if there’s a co-worker who’s just not productive, the fact that he sat in the office vs. remotely did nothing to change that.

I hear and understand also that management believes there would be a break down in culture. Again, I’d push back on that idea. Having worked in a small and then medium-sized business, I don’t fall for that argument. I’ve always found that the culture around and near the actual headquarters was different from the culture in other locations that were farther from headquarters. The culture was communicated through e-mails and other trainings, which you can still do remotely.

I know there’s also a perception that you may be less visible and not as likely to be promoted. However, I would argue that if your work is still top notch, and you’re regularly communicating with co-workers and your bosses, I don’t think we have enough data to conclude that those who work remotely are promoted less. I’m willing to take my chances, anyway. 🙂

Closing Thoughts

While this year or more of disruption has been frustrating and scary for some, maybe forcing a shift in the corporate work place can be seen as a silver lining? I think for sure that it has given us as employees the opportunity to really negotiate for remote work flexibility. The intangible benefits are great, not to mention the financial ones!

How do you feel about remote work? Or are you ready to go back to the office?

RELATED

If your work doesn’t allow remote flexibility, consider these digital side hustles and be your own boss!

See this article from one of our vacation spots where I regularly work remotely!

See some quick money making ideas you can do in minutes from home!

IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE…

Consider subscribing to my e-mail list. You can always unsubscribe, I won’t spam you!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Save this post on Pinterest by using the share buttons, and follow me, too!

If you want to start a blogging business, check out this FREE course!

If you want to make money from a blog, check out this program that got me started making my own money blogging!