Homeworking has many benefits, from having no commute to work, to being able to have a decent homemade lunch and of course being able to do some chores of the company’s time (just do not tell the boss).
As someone who has been a home worker for a long time, there are some great benefits to working from home, personally, I think that a lot of the financial benefits are underappreciated.
Below I am going to explore these benefits so hopefully, we can all appreciate them.
Travel & commuting costs
One of the biggest costs of working from the office for most workers is getting to the office. Especially in the UK which has Europe’s longest most expensive commutes.
In the not-so-distant future, we will look back on wonder why so many people spend 2-3 hours, sometimes 4 hours in traffic, on trains, or in cars sitting at a computer clicking buttons and walking around with a pad of paper and a pad looking busy.
Not commuting saves you both time and money, according to Total Jobs, British commuters on average in their lifetime spend £135,000.
Another way to look at this is average British worker spends 24p per mile on commuting (or 47p in London).
Working from home saved commuting time, but it also saves money.
Lunch Money
Now lunch costs are one of those drip-drip-drip costs that come from working in an office and working from home can save big.
Spending money on lunches is big business, according to Remote Revolution the average British worker spends £1,800 per year on lunch and according to Time Out Londoners can spend £2,500 per year on average.
It seems like a lot of money for an average sandwich shoved down your throat whilst you are working through your lunch break. Or another way of looking at those costs, with that money saved, it is a holiday or at least a city break or a top-notch television like this beauty.
Other food costs
Whether it be popping to the vending machine to buy a packet of frazzles and a can of coke to popping out and buying a mocha-choca-frappa-wappa-chino from that strategically placed coffee shop to picking up a Mars bar at the train station, these costs really can add up over the year.
Clothing
Clothing is one of those areas that home workers can save big on. Working from home does not require a works wardrobe and a home wardrobe.
The average British worker spends £112 per year on workwear according to the Guardian, although many will spend a lot more. I know I did.
Now working from home will always mean, even if you have to follow a dress code for Zoom and Microsoft team calls you can save half of the time when you were in the office by not wearing anything on your bottom half.
Birthday cards, Secret Santa, etc
You know when you are in the office, busy tapping away at the keyboard in the office on something important, and someone passes you an envelope with loose change in it and a card. Great another Birthday card to sign and pay into.
Luckily, if you are now working from home, you now can avoid this. There is a range of small hidden costs, like Secret Santa, Birthday cards, and fun run sponsorships that require both loose change and for you to spend money.
Again, according to the Guardian, some of these costs include:
- Christmas parties and dinners £96.48
- Birthday cards and presents for colleagues £66.60
- Coffees and teas £66.36
- Sweets and treats £64.32
- Technology (such as a tablet, phone, calculator) £58.32
- Leaving presents and cards for colleagues £50.28
- Comfort items (such as tissues, tablets, anti-bacterial wipes, and sprays) £49.68
- Colleagues’ weddings, £47.04
- Charity/sponsorship requests, £44.64
- Births of colleagues’ children, £43.92
- Secret Santa, £41.88
- Stationery, £41.04
- Other equipment (such as pens and highlighters), £38.04
- Retirements, £39.24
- Bereavements, £33.96.
Unwanted socializing
Now, the social life of one company can be very different from another company. In some works socializing is non-existent, in others, it is almost a compulsory activity. Now depending on your age and attitude, both cultures can be great or rubbish.
Costs of unwanted socializing add up, pints on a night out, taxis home, lawyers fee and divorce after having one too many drinks and kissing Derek from accounts and sending a video of it to the wife can all be expensive.
Of course, only unwanted socializing is included.
The Bottom Line
We purposely did not explore the housing elements of home working, as this is far too complicated and personal circumstances and job circumstances.
Working from home does have some financial pitfalls that we explore in the article in a future article.
However, for many home workers, the financial benefits of working from home can add up over time.
Working in an office has many benefits, however, for most workers, financial benefits are not one of them.
What do you think is the best financial saving from working from home? Tell us in the comment below.
Thank you for reading this article.
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