The Hidden Cost of Working From Home

I truly enjoy working from home. On those mornings when I am hearing the rain and storms brewing, my appreciation for this awesome business rekindles. I enjoy getting up in the morning and getting prepared for my commute to my home office located in my guest house. While this is the best work experience I have ever had, there are some cost associated with it that I would like to share.

First, there may be an increase in your electric bill. When home for the entire work day, you are using energy that was not in use during your typical work day in an employer’s office. Your computer is on much longer and lights are on throughout the day. I don’t think this would pose a overwhelming increase to you financially but it varies by utility companies.

Second, you may experience an increase on your internet bill because of a need for faster more stable internet connection. This tends to be necessary when you transition to work from home. For example, my role managing a customer service company required a higher speed of service and one that allowed me immediate access for my work. The standard service package that I had with my internet service provider would not be feasible for the work that I do. Therefore, I had to upgrade to their highest package available.

Finally, I had an increase in my grocery bill. Working from home almost pushed me to focus on buying groceries rather than eating out all the time. This actually was a blessing in so many ways. My grocery purchases would cover me for several weeks. However, the amount I spend on groceries in a week was equivalent to the amount I would spend once every 2 to 3 days eating out. So while I increased my grocery bill, I cut my eating out expense by nearly 90%. During the early start of the pandemic, my eating out expense was 0.

Some of you may find these cost unreasonable. Just think about what it is costing you financially, emotionally, and spiritually as an employee. For me, the change was worth it.

If you are interested in becoming a work from home worker or just want to give it a try to see what you think, visit our website at www.straightroadvirtualsolutions.com to learn more.