Last Updated on February 14, 2024 by Lifevif Team and JC Franco
It’s an undeniable fact that businesses across the globe are realizing the true value of remote working. When employees are allowed to work from home, there are several benefits for both the business and its employees. People who start up their own businesses and work from home are also privy to a variety of great benefits. If you are on the cusp of becoming a home-worker, you might wonder what sort of benefits you can expect.
Working from home requires dedication, commitment, and the art of motivating yourself; but when you get the right strategy in place, the benefits are so enjoyable that you may never want to return to the office!
Working from home has health benefits that extend beyond the physical… it can be great for your mental and spiritual wellbeing too. Let’s take a look at the many health benefits of home-working.
15 health benefits (advantages) of working from home:
1. Reduced stress.
It is said that just the commute to and from work is stressful enough to shave years off your life. You’re in a polluted environment, frustration levels rise, you have work on your mind, and you’re with little access to anything healthy to eat or drink. Stress will already be peaking by the time you get to work!
When you work from home, there’s no commute, which is immediately good for your stress levels. Then there’s the stress of having the boss leering over your shoulder or trying to get things done when work colleagues consistently distract you. By working from home, all of these stress activators are removed from your life.
2. More time to get active.
Working from home provides you with a lot of extra time. The time it would take you to travel to and from work, the time you would spend chatting to work colleagues, the time you spend making coffee for those around you or running back and forth between desks and offices – all of this time is now free. And you can use it to get more active. Most people moan about not having time to exercise – now you can. You now have time to do a home workout before you start work!
3. Improved job satisfaction.
Many people report being dissatisfied with their jobs because of the work environment and because they don’t quite click with the people they work with. If these elements were to change, they would probably enjoy their job very much. When working from home, you get to truly experience how you really feel about your job. Chances are that you like the people you live with, you feel relaxed at home, and you enjoy the environment. That’s bound to increase your job satisfaction.
4. Healthier eating (and drinking) habits.
If you’re always on the go for work, you probably don’t have time to cook a healthy meal. You might snack during the day on bits and pieces you buy along the way. When working with others who drink a lot of coffee, you might get too much caffeine intake, and, of course, there’s the fact that after a long day chained to your desk, someone is going to say, “anyone keen for a beer?” and then you find yourself consuming alcohol, too.
When you work at the office, eating and drinking habits are typically a little less than healthy. Whereas, when you work at home, there’s time to prepare a healthy meal, you won’t drink a cup of coffee just for the sake of drinking it, and the number of times you head out for an after-work drink will be minimized.
5. Increased personal safety (peace of mind).
In terms of mental health, worrying about your own safety to and from work can become draining and stressful. Every time you leave your home to head to work and come home again, there’s a risk of being attacked, involved in a car accident, or similar. When you’re working from home, those risks are eliminated, and your personal safety increases.
6. Improved work-life balance.
It can be hard to find time to have a balanced lifestyle. Maybe you spend too much time rushing back to work to help out. Now, with work right at home, you can spend a few extra minutes here and there on jobs without having to travel all the way into work, which simply cuts into your home-life time.
7. Decrease exposure to pollutants.
Driving or commuting to and from work exposes you to spans of pollutants. These pollutants can cause havoc with our overall health, and exposure should be kept to a minimum. When working from home, exposure to pollutants will be greatly reduced from your life. Of course, when you head outside to go to the grocery store or do other chores, there’s exposure, but it’s far less than going to and from the office each day.
8. More sleep/rest.
One of the biggest perks about working from home is that you get a bit more sleep. You can sleep an extra hour in the morning and spend the day working in your PJs! Who’s going to know anyway?! You can do a bit of extra work one evening so that you can have a proper lie in the next day. You can even start working extra early so that you can start relaxing a little earlier in the evening. Sleep and rest are absolutely essential to our lives. We need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep to consider our sleeping patterns healthy.
9. Absolute comfort.
In the office, things aren’t always according to your preferences. This means that their air cooling system might be set too cold, or the office chair you use doesn’t support your back. You may feel completely uncomfortable in your work uniform too. When you work from home, you get to use your own comfy furniture, wear what you want, and enjoy your heating/cooling system settings just as you like them. Best of all, if you have pets, they get to be right there with you!
10. More quality time with family.
Many people don’t realize the value of quality time with children and partners until it’s too late. When you work at an office, you have to leave early, you arrive home late, and you miss out on all of those special moments in between. When working from home, you can have breakfast with the kids and your partner, and you can all enjoy dinner together. Even if you are busy and only have time for a cup of tea here and there during the day together, that’s still valuable quality time together that you wouldn’t get if you were to work elsewhere.
11. Money savings (peace of mind).
One of the biggest causes of stress for humans is money. Money makes the world go round, but it also makes our stress level rise! When working from home, you won’t be spending money on transport, you won’t be buying meals that are unhealthy and overpriced, and you won’t have to hire someone to check on the kids – you get to save a decent amount of money. Just knowing that you are saving some money each month can put both mind and soul at ease.
12. Positive work environment.
In order to enjoy good mental health and a feeling of soulfulness, one needs to be surrounded by positive energy. Many workplaces are focused on the money, and this type of environment can have a negative impact on you as a person. You undoubtedly like your home and love spending time there, so working from home provides the best possible positive work environment.
13. Less exposure to viruses and illnesses going around.
When you go into a workplace every day, you are at risk of catching the illnesses of those around you. Think of viruses and similar – when a work colleague gets sick, everyone seems to get sick! That is not something you have to worry too much about when working from home. Your exposure to others is limited; therefore, your risk of catching any infections is limited too.
14. Improved mindfulness.
Mindfulness is something that everyone should focus on. Mindfulness is good for the mind and soul, and the results can have great body benefits too. When you practice mindfulness, you are calmer, anxiety is easily quelled, stress levels are kept healthy, and you’re always conscious of what you are doing in the current moment. Practicing this is easier at home than in a busy office space.
15. Increased productivity.
One of the best benefits of working from home is that you can boost your productivity as much as you want/can. The office doors don’t have to close at 6 pm when you work from home. If you want to get a big project finished, put in the extra hours…. Work late at night, early in the morning, while you watch television. The opportunity for increased productivity is a healthy way to drive your own motivation.
Last Word
If you are considering working from home, be prepared to experience all of these benefits. Also, be prepared to implement some self-discipline and motivation so that you don’t unintentionally start to slack off. You can do it!
This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who share their experiences and knowledge about the "Seven F's of Life".
JC Franco
JC Franco is a New York-based editor for Lifevif. He mainly focuses on content about faith, spirituality, personal growth, finance, and sports. He graduated from Mercyhurst University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, majoring in Marketing. He is a certified tennis instructor who teaches in the New York City Metropolitan area. In terms of finance, he has passed the Level I exam of the CFA program.