Where has this been all my life?
After working from home the past 2 years, I could never return to the office and leave behind all the incredible remote work benefits.
Today, I’ll share the best work from home benefits you’ll experience if/when you choose this lifestyle.
1. Save Hundreds of Dollars Per Month
Back when I commuted into the office, it never occurred to me how much it was costing. Turns out, I was paying an extra $235 per month to work at the office.
Over the course of a year, this adds up to $2,820!
You can argue certain expenses are tax deductible, but even if we deduct those costs, it still probably costs more than we realize.
Ways you can save when working remotely:
- Food/Drinks – most offices are surrounded with vending machines, fast food restaurants, and even valet food delivery. Convenience makes it difficult to avoid indulging in these options throughout the month, which adds up fast.
- Gasoline – When commuting into work, I used to spend about $100/month on fuel. Technically this can be written off, but I suspect many people don’t bother doing so, and pay this extra expense. Currently the IRS allows 58.5 cents per mile driven for business use to be written off.
- Vehicle Insurance – most car insurance companies reduce your monthly bill if you drive less miles, because there’s a lower risk of an accident.
- Vehicle Maintenance – commuting hundreds of miles to work each month increases wear and tear on your vehicle. Once again, this can be written off through the “miles driven” writeoff allowable by the IRS (which includes vehicle maintenance in the calculation). But I suspect a lot of people don’t take advantage of it.
- Work Clothes – If you work in an office, then you probably have to dress the part. Over the course of a year, spending $100-$300 on work clothes is pretty normal.
Even without working remotely, there are more ways than ever to budget better, whether you’re living with in laws or using clever ways to save money on car repairs.
2. Access More Employment Opportunities
Until 2020, most people got jobs in the cities they lived, sometimes needing to relocate to accommodate the job’s location.
Today, however, remote workers have enormous opportunities since a staggering 15% of job openings across the United States are remote-friendly.
If you lived in a relatively small city prior to the pandemic, the influx of remote friendly jobs multiplies your job prospects multiple times over.
If you plan on working at a startup, you’ll likely find even more remote opportunities.
While some might argue this increases competition for job candidates, it seems in the job market employers are dealing with more issues during the hiring process than job candidates.
For example, Amazon doubled its max base pay for certain roles to stay competitive in the hiring market.
Even though there might be a slight increase in competition for job candidates it opens the doors to a wider pool of opportunities that didn’t exist previously, which can even be used to negotiate job offers.
3. Get More Sleep
Getting ready in the morning and commuting would take at least an hour, when I used to work in the office.
One of my favorite remote work benefits is getting this time back in my day, some of which goes to sleeping an extra 30-45 minutes. Unfortunately some people have to wake up at 5 or 6am to arrive at work on time.
For those people this easily becomes one of the health benefits of working from home, not getting adequate sleep can cause a host of health issues.
4. Avoid Working in a Cubicle
No one dreams of working under fluorescent lights in a cramped gray cubicle. Personally, I found this work arrangement depressing, and never want to work in that setting again.
One of the best work from home benefits is getting to work anywhere you want. If you feel like going to work at a local coffee shop for the day, you can. If you feel like working outside on a beautiful day, guess what? You can.
Flexible work environments make the workday significantly more enjoyable. Not only that, I’ve found my workdays are more productive, because I’m not interrupted and distracted by loud conversations around me.
Fun places you can work:
- Coffee shops
- Bedroom
- Parks
- Family/friends houses
- Airbnb
- Book stores
5. Wear Comfy Clothes (aka Pajamas) to Work
Have you ever seen someone lounging around in a pantsuit?
Me neither.. I wonder why that is?
Everyone knows work clothes/uniforms are uncomfortable, and when working remotely you can ditch these clothes for good. Although there are plenty of jobs without uniforms, when working from home you can literally wear pajamas!
In addition to being more comfortable, you’ll save money by not having to buy a second wardrobe for work.
6. Never Have to Commute
Commuting 15-30 minutes probably wouldn’t be that bad if it weren’t for stop and go traffic.. which is the part that makes our blood boil.
If you work from home, you’ll only be commuting to the kitchen for morning coffee.
I have to say this is one of my favorite parts of WFH. I hated the stress of stop and go traffic twice a day, especially since most of the time everyone around me was staring at their phone rather than the cars around them.
7. Less Interruptions
Although most people enjoy the occasional watercooler chat at work, sometimes these sessions turn into social hour, literally. It can be hard to focus when surrounded by loud conversations, people talking on the phone, and random chats at your desk.
If you work from home, these interruptions don’t happen unless you want them to. On the other hand, some professionals have young children at home, which can still be disruptive but it’s usually more welcome.
8. “Adulting” Tasks are Easier
Part of being an adult includes taking care of small chores like laundry, going to the dentist, renewing your drivers license, etc.
If you work in an office, taking time off to run errands is challenging, and small chores around the house are waiting for you when you get home.
As a remote worker, throwing in a load of laundry or running a quick errand is so much easier. Plus, it means you won’t have to bother with a lot of these chores during your time off.
9. Minimize Micromanaging
A lot of managers will trust you to get your job done, while others watch you like a hawk.
Another great remote work benefit is that a micromanager can’t bother you as much when working from home. I’ve been in situations while working remotely, where I spoke with my manager once per week.
As long as you get your job done, a good manager will trust you to get your job done.
10. Spend Extra Time with Loved Ones
One of the biggest surprises that occurred during the pandemic was the extra time people were able to spend with their children, parents, and loved ones.
In many cases, parents rush off to work in the morning and don’t return until late in the evening, missing out on quality time with their children.
Or maybe you’re a young professional without children, and you could spend extra time visiting your friends or parents house, since you can work from home.
Being able to work from home gives you the flexibility to see loved ones more easily.
Wrapping Up
I had no idea there would be so many work from home benefits, when I started this journey 2 years ago. If you have any questions about working remotely, don’t hesitate to reach out!
John-Paul Cody has been an avid online seller for years, across platforms including eBay, Mercari, Craigslist, and more. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from UNC Chapel Hill, and works in data analytics and marketing.
