Telecommuting is more productive

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Telecommuting is more productive

With so much of the world still in retreat-mode from the pandemic, millions of people are working from home. What began as a temporary, bridge solution until the world returned to “normal” conditions, has steadily become woven into long-term strategy discussions for businesses everywhere.

Why? Well, it seems the recent work-from-home movement has translated into more productivity and throughput for participating companies. Whether out of choice or necessity, companies with an at-home workforce are finding that their employees are happier, healthier, and more productive.

A recent study reported that work-from-home employees put in an additional 1.4 hours of work per month! That equates to 16.8 days every year. If that’s not a testament to the added production value a company can experience through telecommuting, then I don’t know what is.

Over the year, many people have argued against the notion of working from home, citing distractions, technical difficulties, communication breakdown, etc., as possible factors precluding such a move. Yet, because of the coronavirus shutdown, and millions of workers essentially “compelled” to work from home, one of the greatest experiments on the topic has be deployed. Now several months into the saga, the results are in and the results are overwhelmingly positive. In fact, the results are compelling enough that many employers are looking for ways to keep their employees at home.

Here are some of the advantages of working at home that lead to better productivity for employees:

(1) Employees are more apt to take more short, meaningful breaks. This allows them to recharge and keep full-focus for a full workday.

(2) Employees get more sleep because they don’t have to wake up as early for a commute. More sleep means more focus. More focus means more productivity.

(3) Employees are often more connected with fellow team members because more discipline is built into having daily calls rather than the typical, ad hoc water-cooler chats at the office.

(4) Employees are less apt to ask for a raise because the fuel savings from not commuting help their bank accounts remain healthier.

In conclusion, it really is time to make the practice of working-from-home the rule, rather than the exception to the rule.