Benefits of working from home

Most remote workers enjoy NOT having to make the long commute to work every morning. This includes the associated costs and time involved in getting up earlier, stressing out and getting frustrated in traffic, finding and possibly paying for parking, the cost of petrol, wear and tear on your tyres and car etc

Some remote workers love the fact that they don’t have to spend time being social with their workmates and negotiating the anxiety of office politics and bullying. Some people just find that they can concentrate more and get more work done from home but enjoy going to the office when they need to for meetings, presentations, brainstorming and training.

Parents notice the benefits of working remotely

Workers or job seekers going through a career change, or parents looking to return to work or make some more money on the side are the ones who look for remote working opportunities. It makes sense after all because these are the times when you evaluate your life and your priorities and spend time figuring out what you REALLY want.

If you work well on your own and can use technology and communication programs like Slack and Dropbox which are used by businesses then work-at-home opportunities are for you.

Work from home arrangements can greatly increases your work-life balance and provide you with vital extra hours spent with your family and friends every week, but you also need to know when and how to turn off and have regular breaks.

Flexible working hours are a growing trend in Australian employment awards, so the chances are, there’s a remote work option for you.

Some people search for remote working jobs to find some extra income as well as get a taste for a new job.

Remote work benefits

There are financial benefits of working from home, particularly if you’re an independent contractor. Working from home tax deductions could see you being able to claim expenses that relate to your flexible work arrangement, not to mention the ability to save money on public transport and petrol, avoiding peak hour traffic!

Being self-employed offers the flexibility of being your own boss, with many small business owners choosing to follow this path to pursue their dreams. Every year self-motivated entrepreneurs and business development managers choose to work in their own home consulting to clients. This give them flexibility but also the responsibility of slowly building their own businesses. This is something you could look into doing from your own home even if you currently have a good job.

Working From Home Checklist

Are flexible work arrangements good for you? Working from home jobs might seem appealing but they’re NOT for everyone.

If you have a good distraction-free work area, time management skills and work ethic remote working jobs will suit you. If you have good self-motivation, prefer a quiet environment where you can focus on getting into and completing your remote work tasks working from home is for you. If you prefer to be able to socialise and chat with your co-workers it may not be so suitable.

Remote work can be lonely and hard to start so if you’ve never done it for a prolonged period before you’ll need to develop some habits to remain sane and productive.

One thing you do need to determine is if you’re really capable of working in an online job from home using technology to communicating with your co-workers and customer. Do you feel comfortable using remote working technology?

Learn about remote working technology & skills

See if remote working is for you

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to see if remote working is for you. Do you:

  • take ownership & control of your tasks
  • work well by yourself
  • work well in collaborative group projects
  • use technology often
  • work at night time or on weekends if you need to
  • like spending time with your family and friends
  • work well under pressure and to deadlines
  • have strong communication skills
  • like working in noisy and active environments
  • being micromanaged
  • spending time in your car or on public transport

Learn about the Technical and Software skills you need to work from home