Benefit – Freedom to Create a Personalized Work Environment
Everyone has their own work environment that will help them increase productivity and creativity. Unfortunately, employers cannot create a personal work environment for every employee. This often leads some employees to feel stifled and uninspired.
One of the many advantages of telecommuting is that employees can create a personalized work environment for themselves. Employees can have control over noise levels, setup of desk and workspace, and even the AC/heat. This control allows people to create a work environment that inspires them to work and be productive.
Drawback – Potential Lack of Motivation
(Disadvantages of Telecommuting)
The individualized work environment may be one of the many telecommuting benefits employees see, but it can also be a drawback. The individualized work environment can cause employees to feel unmotivated at times and may lead to procrastination.
A lack of motivation and the potential for procrastination happens as a result of not having other employees around to offer encouraging words or to check on the status of a project. Luckily, there are things employees can do to turn this drawback into a positive.
Employees can do the following:
- Schedule regular chat/Skype sessions with co-workers to keep motivation high
- Take regular breaks to prevent feeling unmotivated
- Create a structured work environment with a set schedule
Benefit – No Long Commute to Work
One of the biggest, and possibly the best, telecommuting benefits is the ability to say goodbye to the long commute to work. It is estimated that some individuals can spend more than 90 minutes in traffic just getting to work.
When employees telecommute, they are able to enjoy one of the many telecommuting benefits, which is not having to drive to and from work. Employees are able to start working almost instantaneously because all they have to do is walk to their home office.
Benefit – Flexible Schedule
The ability to create a flexible schedule is another telecommuting benefit. Employees are able to work around doctor visits, illnesses, appointments, and even family commitments.
While having a flexible schedule may seem like it could be problematic, when done properly it can be one of the many telecommuting benefits for employers and employees. Employers see increased work productivity because employees are not having to take time off of work and can work around other commitments. Meanwhile, employees can be happy that they are able to meet prior commitments without having to stress about work or taking time off.
There are numerous telecommuting benefits and drawbacks, but luckily the benefits outnumber the drawbacks. Both employees and employers should consider taking advantage of the numerous telecommuting benefits that are out there.