Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, few employees had the opportunity to work from home unless they were self employed and using a home office. Now that companies are “back in business,” many employers are finding it beneficial to allow employees to continue to work from home rather than return to a physical office. Studies indicate at-home employees are more productive. The employer can downsize the office space, the employee parking lot size, and the services associated with an office like break room coffee and snacks, janitorial services, document shredding services, etc.

Here are the 4 biggest benefits of supporting employees in working from home:

1. No commute: Considering the time employees save by not spending approximately a half hour each way commuting to their employer (our national average commute time), this is the biggest joy of working from home. And with the increase in gas prices in 2022, time and money are being saved.
2. No dress code: Whether one wore a suit, business casual, or a uniform to work, working from home allows employees to wear “play clothes” or even “jammies” to work. Wearing comfortable clothing increases productivity. How? By not distracting you while you’re concentrating on tasks at hand. Aching feet from tight shoes or high heels, slipping bra straps, tight neck ties, tight belts, and other seemingly minor irritations actually interrupt the thought process.
3. Hanging out with your pets: The benefits of spending time with our pets are the reason there are therapy animals. They provide attention, love, and comfort. In addition to the attention they give us, their needs can remind us to get up from the desk and take a break for our needs, whether that is a walk outdoors, an afternoon snack, or a lunch meal.
4. Balancing work/life needs: Parents can arrange their at-home business work around their children’s schedules. Some parents begin work prior to getting the children up in the morning so their time with the children is less stressful. Having knocked out an hour or two of work, parents can slow down, enjoy breakfast with their children and get them to school at a comfortable pace instead of the pre-pandemic rush to eat, rush out the door to drop the kids and rush in the traffic to get to the office. Some parents clock out for “lunch” late in order to get spend time with their children in the afternoon, having really eaten lunch in front of the computer hours prior.

For the self-employed working from home, the benefits listed above are familiar to you. In addition, you are the boss, and likely the bookkeeper, secretary, mail clerk, receptionist and janitor. As your business grows, you may find some separation of home/work is needed.

1. Mailing address: Whether you are a CPA, midwife, solo attorney or a crafter posting on Etsy, it behooves you to have an address for your business that is not your home address. This protects your and your family’s privacy, and also builds your business identity. It allows business packages to be received even when you are not home.
2. Delegation: When you are self employed, it can benefit your business and your work/life balance to delegate some of the “hats” you wear. Hiring a bookkeeper for your accounts payable/receivable or an accountant for your taxes will increase your productivity (and possibly reduce your stress and headaches!).
3. Strengthening your business identity: To build a professional “look”, it benefits you to have a professional receptionist answer your phone in your business name and forward calls to you. If you need to meet your clients, it helps to have access to a professional office.

Focus on Growth, We’ll Handle the Rest! Summit Executive Suites offers Virtual Office support and use of conference rooms in their Louisville, Kentucky suites. For additional information contact: Janet Luesing, CPM at 502.802.2928.