Coronavirus Sheds Light On The Health Benefits Of Working Remotely!

by Stable   ·  4 years ago   ·  
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If you’re working in a large office building with hundreds of people or commuting with thousands every day, then you’re exposing yourself to the additional risk of contracting flu and viruses such as Coronavirus.

For years people have spoken about the benefits of working remotely. Still, it’s not until something as terrifying as the Coronavirus starts sweeping across the globe that the benefits of working from home or working remotely start to become apparent.

What is Coronavirus? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Coronavirus (CoV) is a large group of viruses that range from the common cold through to severe conditions such as MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and the new strain novel coronavirus (nCoV). One of the ways that Coronavirus is being spread is through face to face contact and touch with experts recommending washing hands thoroughly, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and avoiding contact with people displaying flu-like symptoms.

It’s no wonder that people are looking at alternatives to traveling on crowded public transport such as working remotely. It’s not just individuals either; several large companies have urged their employees to stay home if possible and are looking at virtual meetings rather than gathering employees in one area.

Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft have all told employees that it’s best for employees in Seattle to work remotely from home.

Many freelance marketplaces such as Stable.work have noticed a 300% increase in new sales reps signing up since the Coronavirus started spreading around the world.

What are the benefits of working from home?

With the advances in technology over the last decade, working from home has never been easier. High-speed internet, online meeting apps, tracking software that tracks hours and much more have all made working remotely a very attractive option for many employees and employers.

The biggest advantage to working from home right now is it will limit your exposure to anyone that could potentially have Coronavirus. That’s not only people at work, but also exposure to people through public transport such as buses, trains, trams, and subways.

Obviously, you will still have to go out for certain things, but by avoiding large gatherings of people and crowded public transport, you’re going to reduce the risk of contracting any colds or flu greatly.

Apart from reduced health risks, working from home has a variety of other benefits, including increased employee happiness and productivity. One study showed that employees could be losing at least $1.8 trillion per year in lost productivity. These losses could be related to things like talking and gossip at work, walking around and commutes, and health and sickness.

When you combine this with studies and reports which claim that over 65% of full-time employees would rather work remotely, and two-thirds of managers that reported back an increase in productivity from their remote employees, working from home starts to look like a very attractive option.

If you have been considering allowing your employees to work remotely, then there are a variety of attractive options for why it makes sense, including financially and to help avoid the spread of flu and viruses such as the Coronavirus

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