The economic repercussions of COVID-19 have dealt a crushing blow to the business world, urging many organizations to rapidly rethink how and where they work. With several industries and organizations now working remotely to ensure business continuity in the ‘new normal’, it goes without saying that employees would avoid certain expenses by working from home.
Working from home has been generally accepted by organizations as a good way to stir the ship through this threatening pandemic storm. For the employees, while saving money seems likely as there would be no transportation/fueling cost, wear and tear on vehicles and other work-related devices, feeding away from home which in some places is higher than usual, etcetera, there are other elements that threaten to replace those costs.
Friends, if you thought working from home was going to save you money, think again. While some organizations make financial provisions to offset these costs for their employees, it is known that other organizations do not.
Obvious expenses that can really pile up while working from home are below:
Electricity Bills:
You are definitely incurring cost by having your PC and other office devices working during your work-period at home, yes. If you use a pre-paid, you feel the pinch more. If you live where power supply is erratic, then you must be running your generator for prolonged periods – working from home must really hurt, right?
Phone Calls:
How often do you make calls while working from home? I bet this happens more often than usual. Technology has provided alternative ways to communicate quickly, but hey, you expend data! Either ways, you incur cost by simply communicating.
Office Set-up:
It is no surprise that some furniture supply companies already recorded increased turnover at this time because many people working from home now find the need for new set of furniture. Some purchased printers, internet modems, etcetera.
Internet Data:
Virtual meetings are the order of the day these days. Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, Face time, mention it. Technology has taken over and it is fuelled by data. Emails, social media, etcetera are still the order of the day and they are fuelled by data.
Food:
Believe it or not, there are people who eat more then they are at home – whether working or not. While at the office, there is a necessary diversion to be more in-tune with office affairs. Some even forget to eat – this is a known case with many people. Working from home, however, does not seem same.
Above are obvious costs incurred by an employee when they work from home. Are there others you have incurred costs on?
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