Fourteen months ago, all hell broke loose because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Toilet paper was being hoarded, people were rioting, hand sanitizer was being bought in bulk, and women all over America were forced to begin working from home. At first it was a lot: trying to make a secluded space to work, making three meals a day, becoming the only source of childcare, and doing a hundred other little things every day that distracted them from their jobs. However, as the U.S. is slowly returning to normal, many women would rather stay at home instead of returning to the office. Here are some of the top reasons why women would rather WFH even after the pandemic ends:
1) Don’t Need to Plan Your Day Around Going to Work
Childcare, grocery shopping, appointments, and almost everything else during the work week had to be scheduled around work, but not anymore! Now many women are able to easily pause their work whenever they need to step out for something. Setting your own schedule comes with great responsibility, but it also comes with great flexibility which is even better! No more worrying about timing your work commute with dropping your kids off at school, and no more trying to fit a dentist appointment into your lunch break. The world is your oyster while working from home, so make some lemonade and get that bread!
2) No More “Work Attire”
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to get put together before starting your tasks for the day, but for many women it’s just one more time-consuming thing to do in the morning. Why put on a matching outfit with uncomfortable shoes when you could just wear a nice shirt with pajama bottoms on underneath? And don’t even get me started on the slippers! Comfort is just a click away for many women when they work from home, so why not take advantage of your location and keep yourself comfy? Just make sure to actually wear pants and other important clothing items, because there is nothing more embarrassing than flashing everyone during a Zoom meeting.
3) Switching Up Your Location is a Breeze
You can work from anywhere with a stable internet connection, so why would you limit yourself to your cramped kitchen table? Just because your office is closed doesn’t mean that you can’t do your work somewhere else, and many women are beginning to understand just how exciting that can really be. The money you’re saving on transportation and office lunches can be used to rent out an Airbnb with a nice view for a few days as you do your work from a fun new location! Or, at the very least, you can do some of your work from the booth of a cute coffee shop while sitting next to a cozy fireplace.
4) No More Homeschooling Children
This one may or may not apply to you, but with schools reopening this year many women no longer have to attempt to teach their children how to use long division or how gravity actually works, and since that burden was lifted things have been much easier (and quieter, if we’re being honest). Not everyone was made to be a teacher, and that’s okay, but now that kids have gone back to in-person classes that is just one less thing for women to worry about at home while they’re trying to work. If we’re being honest here, teachers really do deserve more credit!
5) No More Difficult Transportation
Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to worry about dealing with traffic, looking for a decent parking spot, and paying for parking or public transportation? Well working from home has ended all of those annoying inconveniences for women all over the country! No more leaving ten minutes earlier in the winter to make sure the snow doesn’t make you late, no more worrying about walking back to your car alone in the evening, and no more ridiculous parking tickets after getting out of a meeting late. I mean, come on, who really enjoys taking the subway to work every day anyways?
6) There Are More Opportunities to Choose
Since so many firms and companies have switched to virtual work, it can be much easier for women to find a new job since they now have online positions to choose from. I am actually working with a company that is based in a different state, and since all of the work for this job can be done remotely, I was able to apply for my current position. Without virtual employment opportunities, many women would be out of work. Thanks to online jobs, many women have been given the ability to work their dream companies, no matter how far away they may be.
7) No More Dreary Office Spaces
Is it just me, or are office spaces overrated? Cubicles are so impersonal, and no matter how many pictures of your dog that you might have sitting on your desk, it might not feel quite like you belong. Instead of dreading their work environment, women are now excited to work in a safe, secure, and comfortable space that they can tailor to fit their needs and desires. Gone are the days of depressing white walls, the click-clacking of multiple keyboards, and the drone of your coworkers’ mutterings! Now you can incorporate fun designs, fluffy pillows, and cute accents into your workspace since you’re in the comfort of your own home.
Unfortunately, not everyone is able to work from home, and that’s okay too. Many women work in the food industry, retail, and the entertainment industries, all of which cannot be done from the comfort of your dining room table. Of course, there are also women who prefer to go into the office every day, and there is nothing wrong with that either. We should all support each other in our careers, whether they are located from a home office or a cubicle.
Written By
Madeline Thomas
Writing intern at Hired By, Ohio University student studying journalism and music production/industry recording, and writer for Odyssey Online.
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