Growing increasingly popular, working from home in 2022 is almost the norm and is enjoyed by around 46% of the Australian workforce, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. That’s around twice as many Australians working from home one or more times per week in April 2022 - compared to 24% in previous years.
Although not a new concept, recent years have brought the pros and cons of working from home to light. As one of the best employment agencies Melbourne has to offer, Woods & Co are here to delve into the reasons why many want to WFH and why some don’t.
One of the obvious benefits of working from home is the flexibility it offers. This flexibility saves the employee a plethora of time. It provides the option to run errands such as go to the bank or the post office without the long lunchtime lines.
This flexibility gives employees a more refreshed outlook while they are working because they are focused on work without having to think about the million other things they need to do. It also gives the employee more time on the weekends to regenerate without needing to catch up on chores and errands.
Not only will the employee be more focused after ticking off any nagging errands, working from home also means less distractions. You might have your headphones on and ready to focus for the next couple of hours without a break but that's not plausible in an office. People can be distracting! These distractions are less likely to happen at home unless you have young children.
It’s a lot harder to be late when there's no traffic, no need to do your makeup, rush to make your lunch, feed the pets and the list goes on… Traffic also makes people frazzled, meaning when they arrive at work they may need a breather, a coffee or a bathroom break before actually commencing work.
Working in an office is expensive for both the employee and the employer. For the employee, transportation costs, coffee, lunch, workwear, and grooming can add up. Working from home allows a healthy homemade lunch, working in comfortable attire that doesn't need to fit any certain uniform, less use of makeup and grooming products and homemade coffees.
For an employer, having no office or less employees in the office means fewer costs on utilities and equipment. Depending on the job, many employees will need to supply equipment for their employees, although it is not a requirement and many employees may have their own laptop or computer.
With more flexibility comes the risk of less productivity. If you hire the wrong employees, this may be the case, but employees should be trusted until they break your trust. If everything’s getting done, where's the harm?
There are a range of distractions at home - that PlayStation may be calling you to play just one game, or those dishes may need washing when you have a massive project due at 5!
Social isolation can be hard for many people. Interactions may need to be very heavily scheduled outside of work hours to make up for the lack of usual interactions that occur in an office. This can be hard for many to not have any people around for a quick chat break - becoming quite lonely for the employee!
When working from home, your workspace is also your home space. Blurring the lines between the two, you never really switch off. What’s another hour more of work when you work from home?
Whether you’re for or against working from home, Woods & Co have the jobs for you! For all your employment needs, from recruitment to landing that dream gig, contact us today.
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