As more businesses seek cost-cutting measures whilst maintaining product and service quality, many are looking at telecommuting as a viable savings option.  Having employees work from home does require changes in management style and project coordination, though the ability to downsize to a smaller office or no office whatsoever can bring about substantial savings for a company.  What’s even better is that employees themselves should save money by working from home.  Some benefits will be seen immediately, yet long-term savings should also accrue, thanks to working from home.

Transportation Time and Costs

Travelling for work has become such a given that it may not register immediately how much money can be saved by working from home.  When a commute goes from 40 minutes to nil the savings in time is immediately noticeable — and time is money.  Plus whether using public transport or one’s own car there are passenger or petrol fees that add up quite quickly.  Long-range savings should be seen on insurance premiums when miles lower significantly, thanks to working at home.

Apparel

Nixing the need for business clothes can be another great way to save.  Although some work-at-home employees prefer to wear at least business casual dress whilst working in order to improve productivity and work discipline.  Also remember that in-office meetings may occur, as well as video conferencing calls so always have business clothes ready for such instances.  A payday loan could provide additional funds, enabling you to purchase suitable clothing for such instances.

Working from home today by slworking2, on Flickr.  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Food Costs

Anyone who has ever taken the time to add up a month’s worth of lunches and lattes know this one is true.  For the price of fast food, meals made at home can be delicious and nutritious.  They’re also easier to monitor for those looking to keep weight down or lose a few kilos.  Coffee drinkers can buy terrific blends as well as all the extras found at the better cafes and still save money by creating the concoctions at home.

Less Stress and Illness

Working from home is not without its stresses.  It can be challenging maintaining discipline and finding a quiet time and place to work.  It takes some doing to get family members and friends to realise that working from home is still a professional job that needs to be done no matter how pretty the day or what football game’s on.  That said, working from home is awesome and those little stresses mentioned pale significantly when compared to facing daily rush hour, shielding one’s self from in-office bickering and politics, being exposed to a science project of a kitchen, and more.  Falling behind on a project and experiencing technical difficulties will add stress no matter where the office is located.  Yet the ability to run around coo coo for a few minutes or do a 10-minute yoga session with no one the wiser could save more than one’s sanity.  Unchecked stress can lead to the need for medications and serious health issues.  The ability to pursue less-orthodox stress busters at home can ultimately save money without becoming water cooler fodder.

Working from Home Doesn’t Mean Living in a Plastic Bubble

Germy kids will come home from school and work-at-home employees do get out sometimes, right?  But any traditional workers know all about the Petri dish of illness that can be nurtured in an office.  As soon as one bug runs through the lot another comes calling.  Working from home could significantly limit the need for cold medicines, doctor’s visits, antacids, antidepressants, you name it.

Not for Everyone

Truthfully not everyone is cut out for working from home.  Some skills and trades involve direct work with others including coworkers and customers.  Plus some quite honestly need more supervision in order to be productive.  No it’s not for everyone, but for the lucky few it can feel a lot like winning the life lottery, with an additional monthly payout of savings accrued simply by staying home.