Why we should Work-From-Home forever

People are sick of the rat race. After years of needless sacrifice, they’re eager to find a balance between work & home life. A wide range study indicates that two-thirds of all employed professionals would prefer a WFH setting, some of whom are even willing to take pay cuts or give up pay raises. With such an overwhelming endorsement for WFH, it’s no longer wise to dismiss remote work as a viable policy. Luckily for us, the pandemic has set the stage for a smooth transition into an agile work strategy.

While WFH has its share of inhibitors, overcoming them is an endeavor worthy of our efforts. The advantages outnumber the disadvantages even with liabilities like isolation, data security, management mistrust & career uncertainty. Statistics have shown that remote work has proven effective in several principles.

• Improves employee satisfaction: Most times, a fulfilling job is accompanied by dissatisfaction in its counterpart. 80% of employed professionals started to have a better work-life balance for themselves and those around them. With control over their schedules, time management has witnessed a spike. Remote work for this bunch is a job perk, and it could be the factor that outweighs a role without this option.

• Reduces unscheduled absences: 78% of employees call in sick when they aren’t. They do so because of family concerns, responsibilities, stress, or sometimes because they overslept. Flexible hours & optional remote reduces unscheduled absences by 63%.
• Increases productivity: Businesses lose more than $600bn/year over workplace distractions and niceties. Several brands have reported a 35–40% increase in productivity after the introduction of remote work. It does away with commute time, further improving upon yield.
• Saves money: The running costs like real estate charges, relocation benefits & office maintenance have been cut down over the last year. Employers & employees save a pretty penny even with partial adoption of WFH. Large corporations like IBM & Sun Microsystems reported savings of over $50million/year on real estate alone.
• Expands the talent pool: Employers have always favored applicants that are situated in the same city. This isn’t without good reason. Taking down the geographic considerations adds tremendous numbers to the existing candidates. Disabled, injured, or retired workers would be given the opportunity to work from their homes.

Nothing is without downsides, including WFH. But collectively, we can reduce its negative impact.

• Not for everyone: Everyone operates differently. Many among us thrive on the social aspect of an office setting. While email, messaging & telephones are easy solutions for some, the rest could benefit from virtual outings, team meetings & a change in environment.
• Technological Challenges: IT Professionals had a hard time enabling a smooth infrastructure for remote work when the pandemic began, but things settled down almost immediately. Concerns for data security were quelled because 90% of professionals charged with data security felt that home-based workers are not a security concern.
• Other: Workplace challenges like establishing boundaries, collaboration concerns, management mistrust, and career uncertainty still plague our daily lives. These are issues that need time for resolution. As we continue to explore remote work, people might find themselves in situations they can’t control. But once we start to understand the people we work with, these concerns will fizzle out and cause workplace dysfunctions with decreasing recurrence.

WFH is a great way to reclaim control and restore order to our chaotic lives. We’ve been pushed into this choice, and we’re all the better for it. Although we’ve known this forever, it has never been addressed or prioritized. With being urged into a remote work setting, we’re presented with an opportunity to reimagine work life as a whole, all while staying in the comfort of our own homes.