It is possible remote work might be the longest-lasting change to work culture from the coronavirus epidemic. Companies are adopting work from home culture, even hiring remote-only positions. Location may no longer be a barrier to employment. During this workplace adjustment, companies are still figuring out the logistics to remote work.
One potential change is salary. Companies are exploring different ways to approach paying employees who don’t report to the office regularly. There are a lot of factors employers must consider about remote work.
Location, Location, Location
Working remotely doesn’t necessarily mean living in a different state than your employer. Since Covid-19 stopped employees from coming to the office, most remote workers still live at a commutable distance from their employer. Even with remote work, being close to your workplace makes sense.
Companies are often a reflection of their location. The values of an investment brokerage firm in New York will differ from an outdoor company in the Pacific Northwest. Timezones are also important. Yes, it’s possible to navigate timezones, but even the three-hour difference between coasts eats into sleep or personal time.
Location might not be a barrier for employment or learning, but some perform better in the presence of people. Seattle coding bootcamps are teaching career changers who want to work for the major tech companies and startups, both online and in person.
Who Is Responsible For Workplace Costs?
Offices provide the necessary infrastructure to complete workplace duties. Employees don’t have to worry about the costs of a printer, Internet, desks, and their favorite ergonomic chair. For the transition of remote work, many companies give generous stipends for employees to be comfortable in the sudden shift in office space. This could be a one time expense for employers and current employees, but what about new hires?
New hires might get this stipend, but they might already be situated for remote work. Will home offices be a requirement for future work? And who fronts these costs? Employers traditionally cover these costs. Getting new equipment to employees might present a logistic issue, especially desks, chairs, or computer monitors. Whether you are a CSS expert or a realtor, you might have to invest your own money into your office setup.
Even with added costs of fancy office snacks, there might be savings to working from home.
Saving on the Commute?
A considerable expense for professionals is gas or public transport fare. This cost, even for a ten-minute commute, adds up. Work from home has the potential to save you thousands of dollars a year. Besides gas savings, your car will last longer because of less wear and tear. You will have fewer oil changes and other routine expenses will be lower due to the mileage reduction on your commuter car.
You could even reduce the number of cars your family has.
We often don’t think of the expenses work requires because we need to work in order to pay for other bills. A shorter commute, or no commute in the case of remote work, will increase the amount of spending money available to you. Web developers and digital marketers who work from home can capitalize on the savings remote work offers.
Lunch
Eating during the workday is necessary to make it through the two o’clock slump. Many tech companies offer free lunch to its workers. This change in your lunchtime routine might be a significant adjustment for employees. What to eat is always a hard decision, even more so if you have to make that food as well. Even a microwaved meal means extra decisions.
This can be an added cost to working. Having to pay for your lunch might seem trivial to those of us who don’t have the luxury of catered lunch each day, but the change might make your wallet lighter. On the other hand, if you get take-out each day, your wallet will be thankful for the requirement to eat at home.
Will Salaries Change
The salaries of computer science workers are higher than the average worker. The top tech companies often have unique perks to entice workers to work longer and stay at their workplace. These in-office benefits might be disappearing as companies allow workers to stay at home. Employers and employees will both see a change in expenses during the adjustment. Companies might offer different perks, potentially a higher salary, to keep their tech workers happy if they allow remote work.
