I can’t believe it’s already May. I’ve been working from home for about 7 weeks now. As the United States continues to edge closer to reopening, I have to fully admit that in my line of work, we should consider continuing to work from home. I believe the benefits of working from home vastly outweigh the negatives. Let’s examine.
Working From Home is Great for the Environment
I use mass transit to commute roughly 50 miles to New York City for work. However, I still have to drive about 15 minutes in traffic to get to the train station. For others around the United States, 2 hours of log-jammed traffic is pretty much the everyday norm. All the fossil fuels being burned to engage in and supply this need is not good for the environment.
With people in quarantine and working from home, the air around Long Island seems a lot cleaner. There is satellite imagery showcasing pollution in skies of industrial nations such as China and India returning to normal. The waterways of Venice seen animal visitors because of the reduction of boating.
If we work from home, we’ll cut down getting into our car and driving by 10 times. Workday traffic will decrease opening up the roads for Supply Chain to possibly to increase shipping times. There will be less reliance on oil from the Middle East and gas prices will begin to drop. People will have the extra income which can be put back into the economy by online shopping.
We Need To Adapt to Modern Times
It is quite odd that the tools we use to conduct business changed so drastically but how we engage has not. We rely on face to face meetings and packed office cubicles with spotty WIFI as a means to conduct business.
During the quarantine, we’ve seen people take advantage of telecommunication tools such as Zoom Business to conduct virtual meetings. Companies store files digitally on clouds such as Google Cloud, Dropbox, and Microsoft Sharepoint. These technological tools has allowed the ability for office workers to take the office home with them. The costs associated with these tools offset or are significantly less than the cost of office space.
The need to work in person has to stem that people are social animals and prefer face to face interaction. One lesson learned during this pandemic is we can get the job done even if we’re forced to work virtually.
Working From Home is Good For Your Health and Productivity
One of the benefits I received from working from home is that I feel like I have my life back. My commute to work takes up roughly 4 hours of my life every workday. I leave early in the morning and come home at night, drained, not wanting to do anything. Working from home allowed me to revigorate my workout activity, eat better, and enjoy more time with my family.
You also feel like you have better control of your day. In my case, I feel more comfortable while working from home. It allows me to put in strategies to allow me to work more productively. There is quiet and lack of in-office distractions like water-cooler discussions.
Final Thoughts
If I was President, I would ask for the country to figure out a way for those who can work from home, to do so. For those who oppose working from home (boomers), my final point is that your work from home experience boils down to how disciplined you are. If you lack discipline or are surrounded by a team of slackers, you’ll be less likely to see the benefits of working from home. If you have trust in yourself and your team, working from home is a change that you should welcome.
