Has someone texted you with abbreviations like LMK (let me know) or TL; DR (Too long, didn´t read), and you had no idea what they meant, so you had to look it up on google? Trust me; you´re not alone. Our generation wants to simplify and make EVERYTHING easier, even texting. So, when remote work started transforming how we work, mainly since the pandemic, the WFH acronym emerged.
But what does it mean? Let´s explore the meaning of WFH and its importance.
WFH Meaning
The WFH abbreviation stands for work from home or working from home.
WFH means that a company enables employees to work from their house, apartment, or residence. They do not need to go to the office to perform their work tasks.
Usually, companies have flexible policies, also called WFH, flex, or remote work policies, that establish the conditions for employees to work from home. In some cases, they work certain days a week from home and others from the office, and in other cases, they work full-time from home.
Examples of WFH
The WFH definition is universal. However, it depends on the company how they apply WFH policies. This means that there are companies that have WFH days but are not entirely flexible. And others are fully remote.
For example, at ThinkRemote, we have a fully remote work policy, which means all employees WFH permanently. We don´t have an onsite location; we´re spread worldwide, from India to Argentina!
Other companies chose to have a hybrid work structure blending onsite with WFH policies. This model became popular after the pandemic, where companies experienced the benefits of managing a remote workforce but still wanted to keep their offices and an onsite culture.
Here are some examples of companies with different types of WFH policies:
- Airbnb has a work from anywhere policy that allows employees maximum flexibility to choose where they want to work.
- Hubspot has adopted a hybrid model where employees work in the office two or more days per week, and on the other days, they can work remotely.
- Meta (Former Facebook) allows employees whose jobs can be performed remotely to request permanent remote work.
- Reddit allows employees to choose permanent remote work with onsite work options.
- Spotify allows employees to work from anywhere they choose.
- Adobe has a mixed remote work model enabling employees to spend half their time working from home and in the office.
- Despite its remote work controversy, Apple has a pilot hybrid work program that allows employees to work 3 days in the office and 2 days at home.
Benefits of WFH
Is working from home as amazing as people say it is? For those who have not got the chance to truly experience work from home, many great advantages come with it.
These are the top benefits of working remotely:
1. Productivity Increase
Without a doubt, one of the biggest benefits of WFH is in terms of productivity. Offices have a great social environment, but these are often distracting. At home, you get to do in-depth work focusing on your tasks without getting distracted.
A survey by CoSo Cloud found that 77% of remote workers believe they are more productive when working from home.
2. Better Work-Life Balance
When you work from home, there´s no need to commute. You save all those hours of stress in traffic or overcrowded transport. This helps you get better control of your schedule and organize so that your work adapts to your life and not the other way around.
Statista revealed that for 72% of employees, work-life balance is one of the most important factors when looking for a new job. And according to FlexJobs, 73% of WFH employees say they enjoy better work-life balance compared to when they worked onsite.
3. Healthier Lifestyle
Working from home enables you to have a flexible work schedule. In many cases, you don´t need to work from 9 to 5 but choose the hours you´re most productive and focus more on results rather than the time you´re online.
This enables you to get energized in the afternoon after going for a run. Or start your day with yoga lessons. Also, you can eat healthier from home as you no longer need to buy food.
4. Less Burnout
Burnout happens everywhere, whether you work remotely or in an office. However, because of the flexibility and the fact that people can organize their life better, remote work has decreased burnout significantly.
In the Equity in the Future of Work research series, Catalyst surveyed 7,487 employees. The survey found out that when companies offered employees remote work options, employees reported decreased experiences of burnout compared to employees who worked from the office. Employees with remote work access experience approximately 26% less burnout than those without WFH possibilities.
Are you experiencing burnout? Or is it just stress? Find out in this quiz!
5. Extra Money
Going to the office involves spending more money on food, gas, daycare, coffee, etc. While this might not seem like a huge spend, when you make the numbers, you’ll realize that you actually save a significant amount of money monthly.
A Global Workplace Analytics report estimated that people could save between $2,000 and $6,5000 annually by not spending on things like daycare or gas.
6. Set Up Your Own Work Environment
The office is filled with distractions. Not only because of your colleagues, but also your office space might sometimes be small or uncomfortable.
When working from home, you get to pick cool gadgets and comfortable chairs, and decorating how you feel will inspire and relax you the most. Your home office will become the most important space in your house, so make sure to invest enough time and energy in decorating it, so you feel comfortable and happy.
Work From Home FAQs
If you´re interested in developing a remote career, now is the time to do it! Thousands of companies are looking for remote workers, so the opportunity is out there. Here are a few tips to help you get a job that allows you to WFH:
Update your resume, and add skills that are useful for remote workers (We talk about this more in-depth in this article)
Look at the right platforms. Great remote work platforms such as Remote, Upwork, LinkedIn, FlexJobs, Remotive, Working Nomads, We Work Remotely, and Glassdoor have endless remote work opportunities.
Have the equipment. Working from home is impossible when you don´t have suitable equipment. The basics are stable Wi-fi, a great computer, and a good pair of headphones and a microphone.
WFH can be distracting, especially if you live with other roommates or if you have kids. But, it depends on how you build your office space, the rules you set at home, and how you structure your work day.
Here are a few tips to avoid distractions as a remote worker:
Music – There are great Spotify playlists perfect for getting you focused. When you have noise in your house, with great soundproof headphones and a good playlist, you can get your work done in no time.
Have a designated workspace – avoid working from bed. Find the time to build an office space that inspires you. For this, things like plants, office gadgets, and ergonomic chairs are great to keep you focused.
Take breaks – breaks are fundamental for remote workers. It’s impossible to keep focused for hours, and if you’re feeling more distracted than usual, maybe it’s time to go out for a walk or make yourself a nice cup of coffee and hang out in the living room. This will help you get energized to keep going.
Yes! Positions like transcriber, data entry specialist, or VA often look for people without experience.
We created an in-depth guide with positions that are usually perfect for those wanting to start their remote career!
