Question

Working from home (or WFH) has an undeservedly bad reputation, says Stanford economist Bloom. Based on research comparing the productivity of those who are “home working on their couches or in their pajamas” with those commuting and sitting in a cubicle 8 hours a day, Bloom says no one should be afraid to tell their boss they are working at home. Here is the evidence you need to convince your supervisor to let you give it a try. Nicholas (Nick) Bloom is the William Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford University, a Senior Fellow of SIEPR, and a Co-Director of the Productivity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research focuses on management practices and uncertainty. He previously worked at the UK Treasury and McKinsey & Company. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the recipient of awards including an Alfred Sloan Fellowship, the Bernacer Prize, the European Investment Bank prize, the Frisch Medal, the Kauffman Medal and a National Science Foundation Career Award. He has a BA from Cambridge, an MPhil from Oxford, and a PhD from UCLA.

So what do you think? Do you want to work from home? Why or Why not? If you are the boss, how would you manage employees working from home?

Answer 1

Yes I want to work from home. Let's discuss some pros of working from home.

1. FOCUS,FOCUS,FOCUS: When we work from home we are supposedly free of distractions like chattering coworkers and people who demand our attention. WFH is much more than just the allure of getting to work in our pajamas. It means we will learn to rely on self-motivation, self-discipline,focus and concentration.The time management and schedulling we have to do is an important skill to have.

2. MORE WORK DONE: As long as we are not sneaking off to yoga class and hitting the mall,we can actually be more productive when working from home.We won't have the occasional annoyances of office life:interruptions,loud co-workers,chatter,etc.

3. COMMUNICATIONS EXPERT: When having a quick meeting in the break room is not possible,we have to get up to speed on what communication tools are available.In today's digital world knowing how to navigate these technologies makes us more marketable.

4. YOU WILL SAVE MONEY: You won,t have to force yourself into a polished shoes anymore if that is not your style.And you can also save on food costs since you will easily be able to whip your own lunch and coffee if you work from home.

5. YOUR SCHEDULE CAN BE YOUR OWN: A lot of the work that can be done remotely nowadays can also be done on a flexible schedule but if you need to work specific hours, we can still have some break time- time we can use however we'd like. Even if we have just 10 minutes we can do something that just wouldn't be possible in a traditional office.

While being the boss, I will some tips to my employees working from home:

1. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE FACE TIME: Go to meetings,events,happy hours,trainings and other outings as often as you can because there are fewer such opportunities for spontaneous team building when working remotely.

2. KEEP IT PROFESSIONAL: Even if you don't have a dedicated office ,try to set up a workspace and make it off limits to the rest of your household while you are working.

3. BE RESPONSIVE: Get in the habit of sending a prompt reply whenever you get an email,even if it's just to say , "Got it" and do your best to be available for conferences calls or other collaborations,even if you don't have strict work hours.

4. SET SPECIFIC TOUCHPOINTS WITH YOUR TEAM: It's smart to set a time each day/week for regular check-ins with your manager and/or your colleagues that will not only help you stay accountable ,but it will also remind your office counterparts that you are still an important part of the team.

By entering into a work-from-home situation with the right mindset knowing that we may actually be putting in more effort than before we can do a great job and enjoy the benefits that go along with it.