I wake up, yawn, and stretch as if I’m pressing the ends of my bed apart.  As I casually finish breakfast, I take a deep breath and realize that it is time to get ready for work.  I brush my teeth, brush my hair, put on my tie...Ok, I don’t put on a tie. I’m actually still in my sweatpants.  Despite Boston having the worst traffic in the US according to Google, I am not worried about it at all. Why? Because my commute isn’t going to take 45 minutes this morning.  No, because my desk is only 45 feet away from my bedroom. Vodia, the company I am employed by, takes advantage of technology so that its employees can work from home when needed.  

The work from home trend has gained quite a bit of traction over the years. Considering how many companies are going global and employing talent in remote places, it was only a matter of time before this happened.  With that said, this trend is not only gaining traction because of necessity, it is also because of the benefits. 2020 is a tech-savvy time to be alive and provided that companies give their employees the proper tools to do it, working from home can prove to be a catalyst for surprisingly high productivity compared to working in the office.

77% of professionals report that productivity increases when they work remotely.  Additionally, 30% of these professionals state that they can actually get more done in less amount of time compared to working in a traditional office setting.  This claim of high productivity is most likely due to the lack of coworker-distractions and time-consuming meetings that professionals often deal with. Certainly, distractions can happen at home too, but it is far outweighed by the lack of in-office distractions most of us experience. 

In a two-year Stanford study, employers reported a higher rate of morale among employees that worked remotely.  According to a report from OWL Labs, employees are 29% more likely to report that they are happy with their jobs even if they are only allowed to work from home for one day per month. Additionally, workers benefit from having a more flexible schedule, by being able to more appropriately customize their workspace to their liking, and by avoiding lengthy and stressful commutes.  

Not only can these positive changes in morale and happiness be good for mental health, but working remotely can quite literally keep you safe too.  Currently, we are seeing an unprecedented focus on what could turn into a global pandemic with the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) wreaking havoc throughout the world.  Over the past few days, we have heard the unfortunate news that there are strict travel restrictions on millions of Italians due to the government trying to stop the spread of the disease.  Given the abrupt disruption in numerous lives, the global economy is experiencing a rough go of it, but personally, I haven’t experienced much disruption in my own day-to-day life. This is because my job provides me the ability to work from home.  Using the VoIP phone system that Vodia has built, along with all the other features Vodia and other partner vendors have created, my workday is essentially the same.  I’ve lost no traction or momentum on any of the projects and tasks that I have on my laundry list of items to do in the office. The only disappointing thing is that my buddy who sits next to me in the office is not sitting with me at home, so pranking him throughout the day demands more creativity as it has to be done through cyberspace! 

There are more reasons why working from home is a good option to have for workers, but at the end of the day, we must realize that regardless of the benefits, this is where the world is going. Vodia has created a beautiful suite of telecommunications tools to help companies create, collaborate, and celebrate with each other by connecting us all through the cloud.  Needless to say, if you are not taking advantage of our products yet, it is time that you do! Find out more at vodia.com or by contacting sales@vodia.com.