Working from home and remote working are widely considered the future of working. This workplace phenomenon has greatly increased in popularity over the last decade and, according to a recent study by IWG, 70% of professionals work remotely at least one day of the week. According to a Gallup survey, this is an increase from 43% in 2016.
The increased interest and uptake of jobs which allow you to work from home has been caused by the wide variety of advantages which come from these opportunities. There are numerous home-based franchises which are available to you now. To find out whether or not it would suit you to start such an opportunity, take a read through the top five advantages of working from home.
1. The Work/Life Balance Advantages of a Home-Based Franchise
The work/life balance afforded by a home-based franchise is perhaps the first advantage which is considered by those looking into starting such a business. Working from home offers a unique opportunity for parents to spend more face-time with their families and to be present for family commitments during traditional office hours.
For many franchisees, working from home can have the added benefit of your partner’s (and other family members) support with administrative or general tasks and they can provide an excellent sounding board for new ideas. If you live in an area with high-cost or limited childcare options, a part-time franchise which is also home-based might be the right choice.
2. Time-Saving Advantages of a Home-Based Franchise
The time-saving advantages of a home-based franchise are a key reason why more and more professionals are choosing their home as their new workplace. The most obvious time-saving occurs with the removal of the daily commute from your workday schedule. In India the average round trip commute is over an hour long and many working people can spend far longer than this in areas of high traffic.
There are other time-saving advantages of starting a home-based franchise, including the time you will save by not having to look for an available and suitable alternative office from which to run your franchise. Time is a valuable resource in any franchise and the time-saving benefits of a home-based franchise make this a highly attractive option for many workers.
3. Financial Advantages of a Home-Based Franchise
Businesses have widely reported significant decreases in operating costs since the uptake of remote working, according to Forbes. From the ever-increasing cost of renting or buying office space to the cost of upkeeping offices, home-working can be encouraged as a cost-saving measure for franchises.
On a more personal level, there are numerous financial advantages for franchisees who are able to work from home. The cost of buying food/beverages as opposed to preparing them at home is significant when calculated over the course of a work year. Another key saving is the daily cost of commuting to the office be it via public transport or personal transportation.
4. The Reduced Distractions of a Home-Based Franchise
A home-based franchise is an opportunity to create your own work environment. A 2017 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that those who took a break from sitting every half hour had the lowest risk of early death of all the studies participants. Working from home gives you the opportunity to stand up and walk around and prevents the sedentary lifestyle associated with office-working.
Avoiding the distractions of the traditional workplace is also a major advantage of a home-based franchise. You can work from home with minimal disruptions which will allow you to focus on the task at hand, thereby increasing your productivity. According to research carried out by Highfive, 77% of working people found themselves more productive when home-working.
5. The Increased Flexibility Advantage of a Home-Based Franchise
There is an implicit flexibility in starting a home-based franchise. The time in the morning and the afternoon during which you would usually be travelling is your own. You are able to work at your own pace and create your own work schedule. It is commonly regarded that adaptability in employers makes for happy employees and working from home at least once a week provides much-needed flexibility for many workers.
Therefore, if you are a franchisor looking for franchisees it may be of great benefit to offer home-working to your prospective business partners. With increased productivity, reduced costs and a happier and healthier work/life balance, there has never been a better time to start a home-based franchise.
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