Work from Home: 7 reasons you should do it Thursday 15 May is National Work from Home day in the UK. Broadband access, mobile phones and company provided laptops means people can increasingly work from anywhere, so why not from home? Here are 7 reasons why everyone should work from home one day per week. 1) Get stuff done. Away from water-cooler gossip, desk interruptions and meetings, you can power through those work tasks and still make time for coffee. Demonstrate to your boss that you can achieve more on a day from home, and you can ask for another one next week. Focus on being productive instead of just busy. 2) Work when you are most productive. You have the freedom to choose what hours to work. If you are a morning person, start early and be finished by mid-afternoon. Or have a lie in and take the afternoon shift. 3) Get some exercise. Less time commuting means you can get to the gym or go for a walk before sitting down to work. Get up at the same time and spend your morning commute time exercising. The increased blood flow will actually help you work smarter, instead of harder. 4) Save money. No fuel or travel costs, no lunch out or lattes. Eat from the fridge and keep the money in your wallet. No lunchtime shopping to break up the office day, so you know you can have a day without spending money. 5) Save your family life. Have breakfast with your partner. See your kids at breakfast and before they are in bed. Finish work at 5pm and be home already. Don’t spend those commuting hours doing extra work. Stop and enjoy being at home. It’s called work/life balance. 6) Your company wants you to take the day at home. Studies show that working from home makes for a more motivated workforce, reduces sickness absences, reduces staff turnover and reduces office costs. It also helps reduce workplace stress which costs UK business 5 billion per year. (http://www.workwiseuk.org) 1 (e) info@HowToEnjoyYourJob.com 7) Save the planet. If all commuting workers spent one day less on the road, rail and bus systems per week, vehicle emissions would drop, air pollution would be reduced and the carbon footprint could be drastically cut. So talk to your boss and make a case for a day at home this week that benefits everyone. PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint this article in print or electronic format, but please include the following text. If possible, please also include the image. Joanna Penn is the author of “How to Enjoy Your Job”. Packed full of strategies, ideas and tips to help you enjoy your job and your life now! Get your FREE e-workbook from http://www.HowToEnjoyYourJob.com 2 (e) info@HowToEnjoyYourJob.com