Next week marks my seventh week of working from home due to COVID-19. By all measures, we are living in strange times, and let’s face it, after this, many things won’t just return to normal. One advancement I hope my office makes is the understanding that working from home…works. For my job in particular, I feel that I can do it almost anywhere, and quite frankly, that type of flexibility is my dream.
That said, I didn’t always embrace remote work. During the Snowpocalypse of 2010, I had one of the greatest shocks of my life. Though the federal government was closed, my employer sent out an email saying all of us had to work remotely. That email dropped in my inbox like a bomb. Prior to this, every snow day was a surprise vacation day. No school. No work. A good time to cover up with a blanket and watch all of the TV I could digest.
When I had first started that job the year before, laptops seemed like a perk of the job facilitating our ability to work at both the home office and onsite with our federal client. Little did I know, my employer was also banking on us using them to work a regular eight-hour day on snow days. Sounds surreal, but I was truly hurt to lose this holiday.
Though I still don’t like working on snow days, working from home is actually one of my favorite work perks. I truly think there’s little that can be done in the office that also can’t be done from home (on most days), and I’m thankful that most of my work experiences after 2010 embraced a flexible schedule. The work can be seamless, and for someone who’s always been efficient with work, I see less of a need to be confined to four walls for eight to nine hours per day.
I like to be free, yet there are some who disagree. With my latest job, I asked for flexibility as part of my negotiation and was told that wasn’t a possibility. Also, I tried to hire someone whose only caveat was that she needed to work from home, and I was told that my company wouldn’t pay someone to stay home. Ironically, now in the time of a pandemic, we are all working from home, and I’m starting to read articles with many employers viewing work from home as a permanent possibility. Quite frankly, I would love it. Here area few reasons why:
Commutes are eliminated. I’m saving two hours each day, and I can fill that time with healthy activities like exercising and morning meditation.
The “come as you are” work environment is quite comfortable. Athleisure has long been my favorite style.
Video conferencing is a game changer. You can be face-to-face when needed, and collaboration options are expanding.
Multitasking home and office responsibilities becomes second nature. Ain’t nothing quite like cooking and eating your breakfast during the daily morning conference call.
Both the employer and employee save money. Employers save on the overhead that comes with an office (printers, electricity, snacks, etc.), and almost each of the activities listed above save the employee money. Right now, I’m saving about $60 per week from commuting. I haven’t purchased any clothing since being home, and I’m finally making my own breakfast and lunch each day. That’s about another $70 in savings each week.