ACCORDING TO A STUDY, WORKING FROM HOME IMPROVES EMPLOYEES HAPPINESS AND HEALTH AND BENEFITS EMPLOYERS AS WELL
If you currently work from home or have had the experience of working from home sometime during the pandemic, you're probably well aware of its many benefits. You can spend more time with your children or pet, you don't have to commute, and you don't really need to dress up. Although these can seem like personal victories, recent studies have shown that working remotely has numerous advantages for many people. According to a University of South Australia study, working from home improves our health in addition to our happiness.
“During the early days of the pandemic in 2020, our team was partway through a year-long study examining lifestyle and wellbeing in Australian adults,” write Ty Ferguson, Carol Maher, and Rachel Curtis from the University of South Australia. “Fast forward to today. Many employees still work from home, and many more want to. While some of the health evidence about working from home is mixed, overall it shows giving workers the flexibility to choose to work from home can be good for their physical and mental health.”
According to the experts, the average Australian commuted for 4.5 hours before the epidemic. People were able to recover an additional hour and eighteen minutes every week during the epidemic as they started working from home. Businesses were profiting from their workers working from home because the majority of the pre-pandemic commuting time was actually spent completing more work. Indeed, they discovered that 43% of this additional time was spent submitting more work, which is consistent with studies showing that remote workers are 35–40% more productive and commit fewer errors.
Using a FitBit, the study participants slept an average of 27 minutes longer and woke up 38 minutes later. Additionally, there were significantly fewer heart rate irregularities among the subjects, indicating better sleep. On the food front, the ability to cook at home has opened doors to healthier options for many, resulting in a rise in the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products—all of which are frequently restricted when one must pack a lunch or order takeout during a workday. It's not all sunshine and roses, though, as working from home can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle.
Overall, some people find that working remotely offers them more opportunities, if not a lifeline. Working remotely allows women, especially mothers and caregivers, to better combine work and family obligations, especially if they are also responsible for unpaid domestic duties. People with disabilities can also enter the workforce by working from home, which improves their mental health in addition to providing them with financial freedom.
“Working from home is not a one-size-fits-all approach and appears best positioned as one choice among many to support a better, more inclusive, and flexible work environment,” the researchers add. “Just as our homes transformed into makeshift offices overnight, our approach to work must evolve, embracing the diversity of needs and lifestyles.”