Benefits of Work at Home
The country is sitting up and taking a good look at the work at home trend. The news is touting the environmental benefits. Even workers who stay home only one or two days a week are saving fuel and reducing pollution.
Health Issues
The health benefits are arguable. Ask any full time work at home employee if they think their home is a healthier work place and they may laugh. The fear of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is higher. Workers may sit in one place longer.
They are less likely to have a proper desk. This doesn’t necessarily mean an ‘office desk.’ Some work at home workers prevent RSI by sitting straight in an ergonomic chair with a split keyboard in their lap. Others keep their keyboard on a table. The WAH worker often chooses their work space based on height and body build.
Migraines are also a side effect of working at home. Typists tend to lean forward if their monitor is not at the right height and distance. This strains the muscles at the back of the neck resulting in eye strain and migraines.
The number one problem is ‘lack of exercise.’ People who work from home work longer. They also stay in a chair without taking a break. There is no water cooler to visit, no lunch room.
Technology
Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK, has said that technology is ‘an enabler’ without which it would be impossible to implement homeworking schemes as successfully.
He added: ‘If there hadn’t been the development in new technology over the last three to four years, with broadband and mobile technology being what it is, more and more of the working population could not do this; five or six years ago it wasn’t possible.’
Financial Savings
The worker and the company both save money creating a win-win situation. The worker can consider food and coffee savings, transport, vehicle wear and tear, clothing, grooming, as office supplies.
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