Telecommuting, or working from your house on your own computer, has gotten both good and bad publicity in 2013. Some companies are fine with letting employees handle their workload from the comfort of home while others have suggested that an office environment is more productive. If you’ve recently been faced with the choice (or the policy) to come back to the office, consider these reasons that the office might not be so bad.
Working at the office creates relationships with fellow workers.
Do you know anything about the people you work with or your boss? If the answer is ‘no,’ because you never see them, working in the office is probably going to change that. Perhaps you’re thinking to yourself that you don’t care to be “friends” with people you work with. But other positive results can happen with more togetherness. Read on…
Relationships help boost productivity.
Being in the office and sharing ideas with the people you work with can inspire greater productivity – which can mean better results for the company.
If you’re leading a group of individuals who just started working at an office, try these tips to create a team environment:
Keep a well-maintained break room. Break rooms, where staff members can grab a snack or coffee, are important.
Hold weekly meetings. Weekly meetings, to discuss the company agenda, are useful.
Hold monthly outings. Keep work out of the picture for a night of games or dinner.
You can let work be work.
If you start working at the office, the days of allowing your friend to visit because she’s a stay-at-home mom and hosting an afternoon snack while listening to her gossip – plus trying to send an email – are over.
You’ll appreciate home more.
When you come home from work, you’re more likely to see home as a haven of rest, rather than a place where you’re trying to be productive and get work done.
Allison Rice, Director of Marketing for Amsterdam Printing, has extensive experience in sales and marketing. At Amsterdam Printing, a leading provider of custom pens and other promotional items such as custom USB drives, Allison is focused on providing quality marketing materials to small, mid-size and large businesses. She regularly contributes to the Small Business Know-How blog.