Executive Summary
The report paper entitled “Working from home vs. working from office” provides an overview of the optimal work-life balance scenario, which is having the ability to work from home while being there for one’s family. People can now enjoy increased job flexibility as a direct result of the technological advancements that have taken place over the last decade. The report aims to demonstrate why working remotely in today’s high-tech environment is significant and what function it plays in the workforce. The primary foci of the paper are a comparison of working from home versus working in an office and an examination of the advantages of working from home. The paper discusses the requirement of working from home, which is taken into account by our organization, which is named “Technologent,” to improve the morale of our employees, reduce our expenditures, and gain flexibility among our colleagues.
Introduction
The expansion and pervasiveness of internet access in today’s society have increased the number of people interested in working from home. Some believe that this makes working possibilities in terms of time and place more straightforward and easily available. On the other hand, some people feel that working in an office atmosphere leads to greater achieveme
Figure 1; Working at home (Hatayama et al., 2020)
Benefits of Working At Home Compared To Working in the Office
To begin, when one works in an office, one has no independence and is subjected to a significant amount of stress due to the nature of the workplace and coworkers’ expectations. However, this is not the case when one works from home since doing so makes one significantly more relaxed and free from stress, increasing the likelihood of being productive. In addition, working from home is likely to save a significant amount of time, which can then be utilized in a more productive manner (Hatayama et al., 2020). Take, for instance, the amount of time spent traveling to and from work. Those who work from an office are required to make the daily trip to and from work; however, working from home will enable anyone to save time on transportation.
Secondly, working from home may reduce overhead costs for people and employers. Expenses related to transportation include things like the cost of fuel, driver time, vehicle maintenance, and insurance premiums. According to a report that was published in 2015 by the two organizations, it was found that in 2014, transportation delays caused by traffic resulted in the overspend of 3.1 billion liters of gasoline and kept commuters pinned in their automobiles for 6.9 billion additional hours, which resulted in a cost of $160 billion (Villeneuve et al., 2021). The amount of money saved can also be applied to our business. Companies save money since they use less office space, and their employees don’t miss as much work due to transportation issues. According to research carried out by the Canada Bureau in 2013, twenty percent of wage and salary workers could do some or all of their duties from the comfort of their homes (Villeneuve et al., 2021). Telework is touted as beneficial since it may save expenses, increase productivity, and enhance recruitment, engagement, job satisfaction, and the quality of life balance.
Figure 2; 2014 Transportation Statistics (Villeneuve et al., 2021)
Thirdly, a study conducted by Penn State found that working from home helps to reduce the likelihood of frequent conflict scenarios that arise when an individual is unable to spend sufficient time with their family. This is extremely significant for those individuals who are already married and are parents. On the other hand, this is not the case when working in an office because there is little opportunity to spend time with one’s family when required (Villeneuve et al., 2021). In addition, allowing employees to do some or all of their jobs from home has boosted overall job satisfaction among workers, lower turnover rates, and the number of unplanned absences attributed to ill health and other factors. There is no such point as a fancy dress when people work from home since they may dress whatever they want to; there are no regulations, but this is not the case while operating in the office because the majority of workplaces have a dress code in which employees are asked to wear formal attire (Hatayama et al., 2020). Therefore, working from home is not the same as working in the office. People who prefer to dress formally because that is how they feel most comfortable are put in an awkward position. Therefore, they would rather work from home, where they may wear whatever helps them relax, rather than dress casually when working in an office.
Additionally, employees can reduce their expenses by working from home. For instance, by purchasing food, employees can quickly prepare a meal for themselves at home and then be finished with their workday. In contrast to when working in an office, they will need to spend money on purchasing food unless they carry a lunch box, which is quite unlikely given that there wasn’t enough time to prepare one. People choose to work from home to save money for several reasons, including the fact that they do not have to worry about being stuck in traffic or being enticed to spend more cash on late-night activities. On the other hand, even if they work in an office, they are still responsible for all the costs associated with mobility, such as public transit, gasoline, and maintenance. If they are driving, they will likely have additional concerns over parking. They will most likely have a cup of coffee or buy something to eat throughout the day. The total amount of these expenditures add up.
Another advantage of working from home is that it may boost employee mood and improve employee morale. Employees can eat, work, and generally move about in their assigned residential locations. It is possible that alterations in the framework of jobs, such as working remotely, which make it possible for mothers to compete more effectively at all levels, are required to finally remove the gender divide in income and direct more of their earned income toward children, both of which are significant and serious goals (Fuller & Hirsh, 2018). It is considerably simpler for women to achieve work-life balance since they can log off work from home and instantly begin their responsibilities within the family.
Finally, teleworking federal government workers participated in the survey, which yielded quantitative and qualitative data. According to the research, telework’s greater job productivity and the desire to stay with the national govt were found to be positively affected by telework. A common aim among teleworkers is the improvement of managerial skills. Stress is exacerbated when people cannot strike a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives. When compared to those who work in an office, remote employees are less likely to be interrupted. Employers may relax knowing that their employees aren’t going to waste their lunch breaks chit-chatting with coworkers about nothing in particular. As a result of eliminating these distractions in the workplace, productivity will increase (Villeneuve et al., 2021). The freedom to recruit anybody they choose is another advantage for the organization. As a result of the company’s centralized location, there is a smaller pool of possible employees. These regional limitations imply that companies may have to make significant compromises on the employees they hire. The utilization of remote employees has eased the restrictions. You may choose the best person for the job regardless of where they are located.
Drawbacks of Working At Home Compared To Working in the Office
While people work at the office, there are no distractions, but when one works from home, there are many distractions. For instance, if employees are not careful, the lure of a longer lunchtime, an extra tea break, or finishing the day earlier may silently seep into their normal routine (Davidescu et al., 2020). Even if working from home may initially make things simpler, there is a possibility that it might be damaging to the mental health of employees. As social beings, humans can experience feelings of isolation when they are required to work in environments where they are unable to interact with other people. Working from home in a small capacity can sometimes lead to feelings of anxiousness.
Conclusion
In conclusion, working from home may benefit both workers and enterprises since it can improve morale while cutting expenditures for both parties. Employees benefit from increased job satisfaction and greater flexibility when they are allowed to perform their work in the comfort of their own homes. These work schedules are not simple to put into place, and it takes time and effort on the part of both the individual and the organization to make the required changes to realize the possible productivity benefits for both parties. However, if they both put in the necessary time and effort, they will both be able to benefit from it. Employees who work from home can have more control over their work schedules, greater freedom of choice, and greater independence than those who work in an office setting, where they can interact with coworkers and connect with others. Compared to working in an office, working from home eliminates the need for time spent commuting, resulting in further time savings. This is just one example of the many advantages of working from home as opposed to an office setting.
Recommendations
There is no question in anyone’s mind that the current working arrangements provide a few difficulties. The employer has reasonable concerns regarding the employee’s ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance and create a workplace setting in the employee’s home. Creating and keeping to a planned work schedule and having a dedicated workspace in the house that is separate from home distractions are two things that may be done to address these issues and help reduce their impact. When successfully adopting work-from-home circumstances, the most successful companies are typically those who give clear directions to their staff. Employees who have consistently proven good performance will easily convince managers to accept telework requests.
References
Davidescu, A. A., Apostu, S.-A., Paul, A., & Casuneanu, I. (2020). Work Flexibility, Job Satisfaction, and Performance among Romanian Employees—Implications for Sustainable Human Resource Management. Sustainability, 12(15), 6086. MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156086
Fuller, S., & Hirsh, C. E. (2018). “Family-Friendly” Jobs and Motherhood Pay Penalties: The Impact of Flexible Work Arrangements Across the Educational Spectrum. Work and Occupations, 46(1), 3–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888418771116
Hatayama, M., Viollaz, M., & Winkler, H. (2020, May 11). Jobs’ Amenability to Working from Home: Evidence from Skills Surveys for 53 Countries. Papers.ssrn.com. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3599548
Villeneuve, H., Abdeen, A., Papineau, M., Simon, S., Cruickshank, C., & O’Brien, W. (2021). New Insights on the Energy Impacts of Telework in Canada. Canadian Public Policy, 47(3), 460–477. https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2020-157
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