8 ways your life changes when you start working from home

Here’s some real talk: In your lifetime you’ll spend up to 50 years working full-time. (Don’t worry, we won’t get into how many hours that is.)

As the years add up, you may find yourself looking for more from your employer to keep you happy and satisfied. Maybe the solution is to change how you’re working. Or more accurately, where you’re working from.

Working from home is an increasingly popular way to earn an income while avoiding a lot of the fatigue and claustrophobia that can come from office life. So if you’re ready to introduce pajama pants into your daily wardrobe, here are eight reasons to make the change sooner rather than later:

More hours in your day

Be honest: How many times have you wished that there were more hours in a day? When you spend hours trekking to and from the office, you lose so much productive energy that could have been put to something else. Working from home gives you more time to spend on the things that matter most to you, as well as being more productive and efficient at your job.

You have more freedom

It’s no longer a problem if you have an appointment in the middle of your workday because you can simply go on your lunch break when you work from home. This means you’re less likely to put off important visits to the dentist or the doctor. Want to take a quick break for some cardio or a floor workout? Go for it. It’s that easy.

Spend more time with family

If you’re working long hours for a company that’s far from your home, it may feel like you never get to see your family as much as you’d like to. Having the luxury to work from home means you get to see the people you love more and spend quality time with them.

The dress code is optional

For the most part, business casual is the standard dress code for employees in Canada. And that’s cool, who wants to put on a tie every single day anyway? But it gets better when you work from home because you choose your own dress code. If you don’t feel like getting out of your sweatpants, more power to you.

Save money on transit

You probably don’t even realize how much money you’re spending on getting to and from work when you’re living a busy life. If you spend $100 on a monthly pass, by working from home you could save up to $1,200 a year. Use your savings to go on a vacation to Hawaii, or decorate that room you’ve been putting off. Don’t let your dreams stay dreams.

Productivity goes up

When there’s a lot of movement going on around you at work, it’s easy to get distracted from what you’re doing. Working at home means you’ll be more focused, giving you the option of working in a quieter atmosphere or blasting your tunes while you get stuff done.

You’ll take fewer sick days

You know how the old story goes, when one person gets sick the ripple effect takes off. Before you know it, every second person in your office has a cold. Working from the comfort of your home means you’re less likely to get sick and need to take time off as a result. Good news all around, eh?

Amp up your virtual communication skills

Touching base with your colleagues and clients is essential when you work from home, and as a result, your virtual communication skills will consistently be advancing. If you’re a fluid communicator who has an interest in commerce and technology, there could be a job waiting for you right now at Shopify (a work from home role).

What Shopify does: It’s the leading cloud-based, multi-channel commerce platform, designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Merchants use the software to design, set up, and manage their stores across multiple sales channels;  web, mobile, social media, marketplaces, brick-and-mortar locations, and pop-up shops.
The platform powers over half a million businesses in 175 countries and is trusted by big global brands.

What you would be doing: You would be working as a Customer Success ‘Guru’, responsible for helping entrepreneurs set up, run and grow their business. Right now, Shopify is hiring hundreds of Gurus and if you live in British Columbia, you could be one of them.

Sound like your dream job? For more information and to apply for a Guru position, visit Shopify.

Not interested, but know someone who might be? They’re also looking to hire Gurus in Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ireland. Take a look at the job posting to find out more.