The myth we often believe when it comes to working from home is that productivity significantly slows down. The image you probably have in your head is someone who lounges around watching soap operas and is just mindful enough to keep the computer from going to sleep in between loads of laundry and a mid-morning Starbucks run. But just because you are surrounded by familiarity and an environment you usually relax in doesn’t mean your productivity has to suffer. Maybe you worked from home during the pandemic. What did you learn? Whether you’ve done it before or you’re trying it for the first time, working from home might be the leg up you need to make your work week more profitable.
Many people can’t wrap their mind around the idea that they can be productive in the same place they watch Netflix. It doesn’t come with the snap of a finger, but if you can be self-motivated to set up boundaries and stick to them, working from home can be beneficial and meaningful. Just think, your daily commute could be fractioned from a half an hour one way to right around the corner from the fridge. That’s at least five more hours a week to your advantage. Don’t be afraid of hanging a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on your door while you are hard at work and setting ground rules to keep you on track. This focused time rivals the workplace office, because conversations with co-workers and long lunches can often be more distracting than hearing your kids in the other room.
There are a lot of studies about the pros and cons of this. Before the pandemic, a travel agency from China—with thousands of employees working in one big call center—decided to send half of their employees home and track the results over a period of two years. They found a 13% higher productivity rate in employees working from home and a 50% lower quit rate. You have the potential to give your employees more benefit than another job would offer by enabling them to work from home. And with the cost of finding, hiring, training, and maintaining individuals, this advantage is huge.
You can be as productive at home as you are in the office. Setting boundaries and sticking to them will help you make that time more than worth it. And your employees will be thrilled as you offer them the same advantages. When your company starts increasing in value after your decision to work from home, you may never decide to go back to brick and mortar, and you might even thank yourself later.
For more information on this subject, please listen to The Appraiser Coach Podcast Episode:
