Earlier this week, the CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer ordered the company a strict no work from home policy. She believes face-to-face interactions are important for business, but often in SEO we don’t get the opportunity to work face-to-face.
It can certainly be an adjustment deciding to go from office worker to working from home. You are your own manager so you don’t have anyone looking over your back to make sure you are not on your personal Facebook. It can also make you feel like you’re going crazy being holed up in the house all day. Having the transition of going someplace for eight hours, then returning home does feel pretty nice. Working from home, however, can feel even nicer than having to go to an office. Here are the five benefits of working from home that Marissa Mayer may not have taken in to consideration.
1) Health Benefits
Working from home can benefit your health both mentally and physically. While it’s good to be on a schedule so your clients know when to expect your first e-mails of the day and you don’t keep them waiting until noon, you can get a bit of extra sleep. It takes less time to get ready because you’re able to literally role out of bed and hit the lap top. This allows you to start your work while eating your breakfast. Another health benefit is the ease of monitoring your diet in your own home. In office buildings there are many temptations such as vending machines, foamy coffee drinks, and surrounding junk food restaurants. Working from home it is easier to stick to a healthy diet as well as get in exersize time.
2) Control Your Office Environment
Forget about sitting in an uncomfortable chair that makes your back stiff all day. If the couch is your most productive place in the house, or your kitchen table you can choose to sit there. I hear what Marissa Mayer is saying about the importance of face-to-face contact but if you’re the type who needs to be around people, coffee shops are a great place to be productive and not feel like you’ve closed yourself off from the world. When you are controlling your own office environment, you also have the opportunity to decide what keeps you motivated. Some offices frown upon listening to music out loud or watching TV as you do your work, but everyone has a different style of working. For some music and TV can keep them from getting bored which might be a main distraction. Your work environment is completely up to you and that is a great gift in the work from home world!
3) Take a Break
In a regular office environment, most people get one thirty minute to an hour break a day, but in the work from home world we can break when we want. It’s not so much when you take the breaks, but what you get to do during your break. You’re at your own home, so if your idea of a break is putting on your running shoes and taking a job you’re able to do it. If yoga helps you focus and finish out the work day, there’s no harm in taking an hour to hit the yoga studio. Since there isn’t a boss to notice you’re missing from the office, you can take breaks to do what make you feel best and keep you a happy, healthy worker.
4) Pursue Other Interests
The best part of working from home is making a schedule that allows you to pursue your passions along with your job. I feel very lucky to have a job that gives me the opportunity to write but it is nice feeling like I have enough time to write on the side as well. The cut back on driving time can give you about two extra hours in your day you would have spent driving to and from work, this time is perfect to spend pursuing your interests outside of your job.
5) Family Time
There has been much criticism over Mayer’s no work from home policy because working from home can be essential for those who are raising families. It allows you to spend time with your children while making a living. Some felt the ban was especially pertinent to women because of this factor. The ability to work from home is especially beneficial to those raising families (or even pets).
I hope you enjoyed these insights in to the benefits of working from home and understand why it can make for a better environment for certain individuals.