While remote work used to only be an option for a small portion of workers, that changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many employers had to start allowing employees to work remotely for health and safety reasons. Even though some have since required workers to come back to the office, there’s still a much larger number of people than before in remote or hybrid working arrangements.
Remote work has plenty of advantages over going into the office, and the time saved is one of the big ones. But just how much time do you save by working remotely? A recent working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has an answer.
Average time savings when working remotely
The average daily time savings of working from home is 72 minutes, according to “Time Savings When Working From Home” by the NBER. It calculated how much commute time remote workers save in 27 countries.
Daily time savings varied quite a bit by country. The United States was actually on the low side, with remote workers saving an average of 55 minutes per day. On the other end of the spectrum were India, Japan, and China, where remote workers saved 99, 100, and 102 minutes, respectively.
Making the most of extra time when working remotely
It’s always nice to have more time on your hands. If you’re now working remotely, you’ve probably found yourself with a nice chunk of extra time thanks to getting rid of your daily commute.
However, extra time can be like extra money, in that it’s easy to waste. Have you ever gotten a raise, but found that you still seem to end up with the same amount of money at the end of the month? When people don’t plan how they’ll use extra money, they often just end up spending more, instead of using it to improve their personal finances.
The same is true when you have newfound time on your hands. If you don’t plan how you’ll use that time, there’s a good chance you’ll end up being unproductive.
Now, this doesn’t mean it’s wrong to use extra time for rest and relaxation. If you work long hours and have a packed schedule, then making time for leisure activities is a good idea. It could help you destress and avoid overwork. But if you already have a balanced schedule, and you’re able to save time thanks to working remotely, try to put it towards something productive. Here are a few ways you could use your newfound time:
- Work on a small business or side hustle
- Run errands
- Focus on your health by exercising or prepping nutritious meals
- Use it for childcare and save on daycare costs
Spend some time thinking about how that extra time could make a positive impact on your life. That could mean using it for goals you’ve been meaning to get around to, new streams of income to pad your bank account, or tasks that you just couldn’t fit into your schedule before.
How to transition to remote work
If you currently have an in-person job, but you’d like to start working remotely, there are a couple of ways to go about it.
If your job can be done remotely, talk to your manager about it. Some employers are reluctant to allow this, but here are a few tips that could help you convince yours:
- Explain how it’s beneficial to them. Have some data points ready on how remote work benefits employers financially. For example, you could mention how working from home led to a 13% performance increase, according to a Stanford study.
- Offer a hybrid arrangement to start. If your employer isn’t sure about going 100% remote, ask if you can do it for a day or two per week. If it goes well, you can ask later about shifting to more work-from-home days.
- Let them know why remote work is important to you. If you have a rough commute or working from home would help you spend more time with your children, share that information.
Hopefully, your employer will be open to the idea. But if not, or if your current job isn’t one that can be done from home, the next best option is to start looking for new job opportunities. Check out companies hiring for remote jobs, as there are a lot out there. Also, bookmark remote job boards and review the latest listings regularly.
It was common knowledge that remote work saved people time, but now, there’s more data on how much time is saved. If you’re a remote worker, try to use that time wisely so that it doesn’t go to waste.
