7 Reasons to Continue Working from Home Post-Pandemic

Why were we commuting to the office in the first place?

I never understood why so many people commute to the office. The option of working from home became available to many specialists a long time ago. Computer engineers, call center employees, marketing specialists, creative individuals — and many others. Why didn’t companies switch from renting offices to letting their employees conduct business tasks from the comfort of their houses?

Granted, certain professionals are physically unable to work from home. Police officers, factory workers, construction laborers, and other people have no alternative. But what about so many others? The global pandemic showed how unnecessary it is for many employees to be present at their workplaces. There are certainly benefits to be working from the office, such as social interactions. But overall, the office industry should have died a long time ago.

Here are seven reasons as to why we should continue working from home once the pandemic is over. The technological progress allows us to explore our options, and traveling to the office on a daily basis shouldn’t be compulsory.

There is No Commute

“I love spending hours in traffic jams every day,” — said no one ever.

Wasting time commuting to the office is soul-crushing. You’re lucky if you drive to work with someone else, such as a friend or partner — this way, at least you get a chance to have a conversation with them. A German study suggests, there is a higher risk of developing a mental health issue, such as depression, due to standing in traffic frequently. Not only commuting is tedious and annoying, but it may affect our health negatively — both mentally and physically.

It Saves a Ton of Time

Even if you live close to your job, working from home can save you a lot of time. Commuting isn’t the only time-saving opportunity, although it might be the biggest one for many of us. I live only 20 minutes away from my work, but if you add the time it takes to get the car out, park at the office building, walk to my desk, wait for the elevator to arrive — it adds up to over an hour of extra time. And what if there is a traffic jam? You want to have as much free time as possible. Not to mention, some of us spend over an hour commuting to work one way.

If you’re a lady, you know how much time it requires to do your makeup and hair. Even the laziest of us — I’m referring to myself — take at least 30 minutes. What about selecting a proper outfit for work? Those small things add up as well.

Let’s talk about breaks and lunch. Typically, we get between an hour to an hour and a half for those. If we’re at the office, we usually waste our breaks talking to our coworkers or being on our phones. Lunch is even worse: we look for a way to spend an entire hour doing something productive. However, if we work from home, we can do a lot of useful stuff! Housework, taking a bath, cooking, spending time with our partner, scheduling appointments — the list goes on. Why not spend this time productively and joyfully, while working from home?

You Can Attend Work Meetings in Your PJs

I had to throw this one in there! Who doesn’t like working in their casual clothes? Wearing a unicorn onesie is so much more satisfying compared to a suit. Even if you work at a very progressive company that allows you to wear hoodies to the office — it still doesn’t beat pyjamas.

Again: you don’t have to dress up, use beauty products, comb and style your hair — it’s all about the convenience!

Reduced Stress and Anxiety

Office culture can be very different. Some of us are fortunate to have a pleasant and welcoming environment; others aren’t as lucky. My coworkers are amazing, but my managers aren’t always as pleasant. A few of them are nice, but I cannot say the same thing for others.

Working from home means no one is looking over your shoulder, no one is trying to control or micromanage you, and you can complete your work tasks peacefully and with no stress. No one is trying to create a sense of urgency either, which means you don’t have to run around the office, putting out fires. Similarly, the absence of the commute can also constitute lower stress levels.

We all deserve to feel good and relaxed while at work. There is no one to stress us out if we work from our bedrooms.

Cha-Ching! Reduced Expenses

Do you like paying for the metro pass? How about your car loan, insurance, and gas? I don’t think anyone enjoys that. Obviously, working from home doesn’t necessarily mean getting rid of your car, but at least you can reduce the expenses. The gas bill will be drastically lower, and you won’t have to pay for maintenance as often. Have you talked to your insurance company about reducing your rate? You should consider it. And for those who get around via a bus or subway, that expense will almost entirely disappear.

But wait! Commuting expense isn’t the only one to go down. A lot of us tend to buy food while at work. What about coffee — are you a Starbucks enthusiast? The take-out food budget can be reduced, as working from home allows you to cook more frequently.

Now, do you spend money on work clothes? Many of us have a whole wardrobe dedicated to office appearance, and we often keep buying more during the year. Good news! Your wardrobe is going to slim down, and your wallet will get bigger and bigger. The need to buy clothes is now much lower. Unless, of course, you decide to have a whole collection of panda PJs and unicorn onesies.

Meetings Friends and Family Becomes Easier

Working from home can allow you to have a better personal life. Once 5:00 PM hits, you can jump into your car and drive to one of your friends. Alternatively, you can tidy up your home during breaks or lunch, and wait for your friends to show up around 5:30.

The need to commute home, once the workday is done, doesn’t exist anymore. Not only you’ll have more time and chances to see your loved ones, but you will also be less stressed because of spending an entire day at work and possibly hours in traffic. You can now focus on building relationships.

A Better Life-Work Balance

In a typical workday, if you add up all the work hours, the commute, possible traffic, lunch, and breaks — you cannot dedicate them to anything productive — the getting ready time and other; it can be upwards of 12 hours. In comparison, if you’re scheduled to work 8 hours outside of breaks — you will only work for those eight hours. Every break is your relaxation time on your living room couch, and lunch is the time to be productive and useful — or take a nap if you’re me.

Working from home allows you to pay more attention to your friends and family, and see them more often. It stresses you out much less, which means you have a better work-health balance as well. Instead of being focused only on work, you can now focus on yourself. Your job is only equal to 8 hours of your day, and that means you can spend another 8 hours on yourself before going to bed.

I never understood: why so many people work at the office? Naturally, it’s a massive benefit for the employer, as they can observe and even control you. I used to have a manager who would scream at you if you didn’t move on to the next task within 30 seconds. Guess what? That’s not going to happen anymore. Employers can’t even say that working from home reduces productivity and damages the company because it allows them to save a lot of money on expenses: rent, Internet, office supplies, and many more. It’s a win-win.

The opportunity to work from the comfort of your house is life-changing. I believe that the office culture has to go away permanently. It should have happened a long time ago, but I’m grateful it’s happening right now. Let’s make it stay.

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