Is the office dying? Some say it might be.
A New York Times story from earlier in 2014 points to data that shows telecommuting in America has grown by 79 percent between 2005 and 2012. And in 2014, the number of people who work from home in the U.K. reached a record high—13.4 percent.
But think about it: is there anything good about working in an office? The crappy furniture, the bad lighting, the noisy cubicle neighbor. It’s no wonder resources like FlexJobs have sprung up, making it easy to find jobs that let people work from wherever they want.
We’re More Connected Than Ever Before
The internet and cell phones have made working life easier than ever. If you need to create a document, lead a conference call, or listen in on a focus group, you can do it from just about anywhere. Why should you waste time and resources commuting to a building across town?
Some argue to that face-to-face meetings are important, but many argue that Skype and other visual forms of online communication are just as effective. Plus, they don’t allow for some of the time-wasting digressions that real-world meetings often have.
Set Your Own Hours
The number one rule about work is that it must get done. And really, all other rules should fall by the wayside. How and when that work gets done isn’t all that important, as long as it’s top notch and on time. Working from home allows you to tailor your work to the schedule that allows you to be most productive.
You’re Close to Your Needs
It happens to everyone: you’re at work and your brain is filled with thoughts of your new puppy trashing your apartment. Or you’re worried that you might miss the UPS guy because of traffic. Working from home allows you to tend to the necessities of daily life while still getting your job done. Work is important, but it shouldn’t be more important than the Business of You. Think of all the emotional stress you skip by being able to attend to the little personal tasks that are part of daily life.
You Get More Done
Offices are filled with distractions. Loud coworkers and hovering colleagues do little to help you get the job done. Studies have found that people who work from home are more productive than those who work in an office. Harvard Business Review points to a study of call center employees that found telecommuters completed 13.5 percent more calls than those who worked at home.
Everyone’s Happier
Whether you realize it or not, working from home makes you happier—and it’s not just because you get to work at the kitchen table wearing your pajamas and eating peanut butter from the jar. The study in Harvard Business Review says that people who work from home were happier and less likely to quit their jobs, which is good news for employers trying to hold on to good employees.
So the next time your boss asks you if you really need to work from home for a week, tell him about some of the points above. He may miss seeing your face around the office, but hopefully your increased productivity and happiness will help him see that it’s a win-win situation.
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