Working from home is an expense, it includes these five costs

When you work from home, all that you consume is out of your own pocket. An entire day at home with several appliances on adds to your electricity bill. In cities with extreme temperatures, air conditioning/heating costs can be immense. Other expenses may include your personal computer, printer, office supplies. Coffee, food, snacks, beverages replace free coffee machines and subsidised canteens. If you support your family or run the household, the utility cost of all family members being at home entails major expenses too.

If you are a contract worker on WFH, your biggest sensible expenses are health and life insurance, which are otherwise covered by your employer. If you are a desk worker, your health deteriorates and medical costs increase as activity levels drop further without the mandatory commute to work. Moreover, keeping in mind the highly contagious and infections nature of covid-19, the burden of medical expenses is overwhelming too.

Intangible as they may be, they are big costs nonetheless. Your relationships and sanity may be impacted as your social skills take a hit. Remote working isolates you from the contact and connect that an office provides. Even if you previously kept your social life on the down low, going to office provided the bare minimum amount of meet and greet and human touch, which is essential in life. Cases of depression, anxiety and loneliness have been ample in this lockdown. Finally, fewer professional relationships and slashed networking opportunities lead to a drop in opportunities and income.

If you are at office, working on a project or in a team, you are exposed to constant professional interaction in the environment which gives you valuable information on the state of your company, manager’s priorities and office politics. Without that, WFH reduces your control over career outcomes and thus increases uncertainty and stress.

WFH adds to health and safety costs, especially at a time when the reason for this very set up is a viral pandemic. Your home is unlikely to be equipped with a professional table and chair resulting in chronic back pain from poor ergonomics. Also, your breaks may be fewer, reducing overall movement and exacerbating medical issues. Finally, with additional power cables, your workspace becomes a hazardous zone for children, pets and elders.