Posted 30.03.2020
In light of recent news, many businesses are being encouraged to find alternative methods of working, including flexible hours and working from home.
There are a number of reasons why working from home could lead to a happier life, from reducing the daily commute to more peaceful, productive surroundings than a busy office environment.
Working alone can sometimes feel unsociable. However, there are many ways to keep in touch with colleagues, including virtual meetings and conferences, without the restriction of location. The team at Rhodes Wealth Management use Microsoft Teams to have regular video calls, team catchups and virtual client meetings.
For those who frequently travel with work, switching to virtual calls with staff and clients can be immensely time effective. According to the TUC, the average commute length in the UK is 58.4 minutes per day.
There are also the additional environmental benefits of reducing gas guzzling commuter habits to work from home. Reduced commute time allows for almost an additional hour each day to focus on our home and family life. Working from home can be great! Although there are distractions, such as pets, children and household responsibilities. Having a regular, tidy area of the house away from distractions can help you stick to a routine. This could be a study, spare bedroom or even a dining room table.
The biggest challenge employers face is a lack of mutual trust, which can be difficult to manage. ACAS highlights that an agreement over performance needs to be communicated beforehand. Employees need to be aware of how to share information with management. Regular office meetings or video conferences can help keep things on track.
For some, working from home may only be a temporary measure, but it could become part of a longer-term strategy, which may improve team moral and attitude towards work. ACAS states that a mixture of home and office-based work reports the highest levels of job satisfaction amongst the UK workforce.
https://archive.acas.org.uk/homeworking
https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/annual-commuting-time-18-hours-compared-decade-ago-finds-tuc