Productivity.
In the 20th century the office existed solely because it was the only place to get work done. You went there to access information, technology and colleagues.
Not anymore. You can access all of that from pretty much any location in the world. So stop going to the office.
Why?
- An office is some distance from home. 30 mins commuting each day equates to one month every year spent getting to and fro.
- Drive, tube, bus or train? The average yearly cost to commute is £2,250, after tax.
- You are more productive at home. That directly equates to fewer working hours and greater output.
- The most valuable assets a company can have is creativity and culture. This works better when folks are trusted to work at home and can operate in an unconfined manner.
- Cubicles, or desks, and the 9-5 is the modern day version of indentured labour. Do you want to be a slave.
- It saves the employer an estimated £5,000 per person per year.
So it’s nicer, better, cheaper and easier.
Why doesn’t every company do it?
Trust. And history.
Most people don’t like change and working for home means change. And some more traditional companies are stuck with legacy systems that make it hard to move to the cloud.
If you’re stuck working in an office, especially on a day like today then ask to work one day a week from home (not a Friday, though!). Try a Wednesday.
