Work From Home or Office: What Is Best for Your Health?
For many, working from home is a dream come true. The perks of being able to stay in your sleepwear all day, take breaks whenever you want them, or even work from your favorite coffee shop across the street sound too appealing when compared to the stale air in your cubicle downtown.
However, lately, many have been forced to switch to remote working as a preventative measure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But which is better for your health: working from home or office? In this article, we attempt to answer this question for all those wondering.
Exposure to Coronavirus
Most companies that could facilitate remote working have done so in the past several months ever since the coronavirus pandemic began spreading across the world. It is a way to protect not only ourselves but our loved ones too as we are less exposed to those who are possibly infected. In this regard, working from home is definitely better for your health because there are fewer risks of contracting the virus when compared to an office full of people.
You don’t even have to go pick up groceries as you can order them online. Buying online is likely the best option in this situation and despite some good news, there is still a need for strong preventative measures.
Quality Sleep
The benefits of quality sleep are numerous. One of the greatest perks of working from home is the fact that you get a little extra time for sleep. Without having to get up super early to get ready and commute to work, you get an additional hour of sleep. Your office is right next to your bedroom so you can casually get up an hour later than usual.
This can make a huge difference because when working in an office, we are constantly sleep-deprived. An extra hour of sleep can help you concentrate better and kick start the workday with pleasure.
Work-Related Stress
Workplace pressure can drive a person crazy, regardless of your occupation. In fact, it’s one of the reasons employees take sick days to unwind and relax from the often toxic work environment. According to a survey, 65% of employees said that workplace stress caused difficulties that affected their lives.
A demanding boss who yells at you, competitive colleagues, a crazy workload paired with not enough sleep is a road that leads to unhappiness and poor health.
When working from home, the level of work-related stress is reduced to a minimum. Yes, you might still have a huge workload and a demanding client or boss, but you’re not in their presence so it’s quite different.
You are also at your home office instead of a tiny cubicle with no privacy and you don’t need to tolerate colleagues that might annoy you or a difficult boss. This, combined with more sleep, leads to reduced stress and an overall sense of calmness that office employees don’t get to experience on a daily basis.
Exercise
With a 9 to 5 job, possibly long commute to and fro, and family obligations, relationships, children, etc, going to the gym is but a dream.
However, when you’re working from home, you get to create a schedule that works for you so that you can fit time for the gym too. Exercise is not just recommended, it’s mandatory for a healthy lifestyle. It is estimated that people should get at least 150 minutes of aerobic activities per week.
Eating Habits
When you have a home-based job, you spend most of your time at home which means you will probably cook more often. With an office job, you either have to meal prep for the whole week on the weekend (which isn’t that exciting) and eat what you pre-planned all 5 days, or you can eat something unhealthy that you can get in the vicinity of your office.
With a stay-at-home job, you’re just one trip to the kitchen away from a healthy meal. You can prepare fresh, home-cooked meals whenever you want and you can eat at your own pace without hurrying to go back to the office. This has a huge impact on your health.
Overall Quality of Life
Working from home is directly related to an increase in quality of life. There is a huge difference in how you start your day when you work from an office versus form home. There’s no getting up at the crack of dawn stressing about the day ahead of you.
Working from home means getting up at your own time and actually looking forward to the day with optimism and motivation to do your best.