Many of today’s leaders are resisting the concept of employees being able to have a flexible work schedule. It’s important to today’s employees to have the option to work from home.
Although this can seem to only benefit the employee, there are many benefits to both the employee and the employer.
The Weather
When roads are closed, and most businesses are forced to close because their employees can’t get in, the company that has built a work-from-home structure continues to do business as usual.
Illness
Pregnant women with morning sickness are not able to deal with a long commute, and it would be a struggle for them to get themselves ready. On the other hand, it isn’t as difficult to simply get to their computer and do the work. They are at home and can work around their condition comfortably.
Equally, if someone has a cold, flu, or something else contagious, very often, they can manage to do at least a few hours of work at home. Even better, this ensures the illness is not spread to other employees.
Working from home would also be a benefit if someone has a broken leg or arm, which would make it difficult for them to drive into an office.
Start Earlier, Work Later
Many employees that work from home actually start earlier and work later. Â When you work from home, you can literally get up, grab a coffee and start working without all the fuss of being ‘work presentable.’ Many will work later into the evening as well to get ahead on projects. This allows people to work when they are at their personal best.
Office Space and Equipment
If you have employees working from their homes instead of your office, you simply don’t require as much office space, which saves on expenses.
Most have their own computers and printers at home, so this reduces the expense of buying the necessary equipment for each employee.
Staying Connected
There are so many ways we can utilize technology to be as effective as being face to face. Skype, screen sharing, webinars, and conference calling. With all these tools, we can remove the barrier of being in different cities or countries.
Today we don’t need to be physically sitting across from each other in meeting rooms. We can bring everyone together on a  live stream or conference call, and we can do Powerpoint presentations through webinars. The possibilities are endless.
Embracing Change
As we see millennials continue to populate the workforce, working from home is something that is high on their list of importance. Meeting this need benefits them and the company they are working for while building employee loyalty and engagement.
We must understand how capable and tech-savvy they are, and depending on the role, let go of the control of insisting employees be present in the office environment.
A receptionist that is there to greet clients would obviously need to be in the office. However, many other office roles can certainly be done from home. Clients don’t even realize that the employee is not actually in the office building when they are speaking with them by phone, email, or instant messaging.
Change is constant in business and in life. The key to a successful transition through change is to embrace it, find opportunities, and be willing to take new actions that support what is needed.
While we have always had office buildings full of employees, it is no longer a valid reason to continue when there are so many technological options that support working from home.
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Working From Home Benefits the Leader and the Employee.
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