Summary: Learn why telecommuters are often more productive than those who go into an office every day in this article.
When people think of the telecommuters in their office, they probably picture people who are wearing sweatpants, playing video games and are, essentially, messy and lazy. Part of that stems from never having worked from home themselves and the other from simply wishing, on a subconscious level perhaps, that they could be working from home that day too.
However, with technology becoming more and more advanced, working from home has become easier and more efficient. Millennials are much more accepting of telecommuting and many consider it to be a great way to create a balance between your work and personal goals since you’re taking away the need to be in one place at a certain time every single day. The opportunity to work while traveling is especially appealing to younger generations.
But at the end of the day, do telecommuters get less done when they aren’t surrounded by coworkers at the office? This statement is actually false on a general basis. Most telecommuters, those who work responsibly, are actually more productive, whether they telecommute one to three days a week or months at a time.
You might be asking, “How is that possible?” Well, here are five reasons that telecommuters are just as or more productive than their in-office coworkers:
- Lack of commute. The most obvious reason telecommuters can be more productive with their time is that they aren’t wasting precious minutes and hours sitting on the highway trying to get to the office building. Telecommuters are able to start work earlier or, as many do, sleep in so they are better rested and haven’t experienced the stress of having to get up early to shower, get dressed and commute to work.
- More focused in their time. Have you ever found that if you’re given an hour to do a task or a day to do the same task, you manage to make the work last for the given amount of time? When we’re in the office, we often feel like we “deserve” to take a break to chat with coworkers or go out to lunch. If we have the whole day to get our project done, then why not? Telecommuters, however, often don’t have to be at their desk for a certain time period and can therefore get that same amount of work done in a shorter time period, because if they do, then they can actually move on and do other things in their lives that need doing.
- Less frustration. When you skip your commute into work, you skip the time you’re rushing around to get ready in the morning and you skip dealing with any frustrating coworkers. You leave out a lot of frustrations that come with jobs. Sure, there are frustrations for telecommuters as well, but working from home gives you a break from those stressors and makes your day that much happier. When you’re in a better mood, you’re more productive.
- Fewer distractions. Do you ever find yourself gossiping in a coworker’s office, taking a long lunch with your friends, or spending far too long in a meeting where nothing is getting done? When you’re telecommuting, none of these things are a problem. Sure, you could get distracted by little things like making lunch or someone calling on the phone, but if you set up guidelines for yourself (like no video games during work hours), then you’ll have far less keeping you from getting your work done.
- A desire to invest more. When you aren’t spending money on work clothes, time on commuting or patience dealing with difficult coworkers, you don’t feel as though you’ve made sacrifices to simply be at your job. When that feeling of sacrifice is lacking, people tend to make up for it by investing more in their work – giving what they are able. By having more freedom and less frustration with their jobs, telecommuters are more likely to increase the effort they put into their work.