For many of us working last home at the moment there are real financial incentives, not least of which is the savings made on travel to and from work and the cost of buying lunch and other bits and pieces when you are there. And for some who work in a city centre area there is always a temptation to go shopping at lunchtime, a welcome distraction but one that can add to the daily and weekly spending.
Time spent commuting is a big issue for many as well and working from home can create more time in the day to spend with family and friends, while for others a more flexible approach to work creates time in the day to exercise, walk, or just do something other than work. A better work/life balance the experts call it!
While all of that is well and good we do need to be aware of the flip side of working from home, and for every person who has had a positive experience there is someone else who has suffered. It’s not always easy to concentrate on working from home of you have other family members trying to do the same, or if you have children running around the house all day, especially if they are supposed to be doing school-work – with or without your supervision.
And for every person who tells you that they can switch off when they switch the computer off at the end of the working day you’ll find someone else to tell you the they never switch off and seem to be working twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
And while there are no doubt savings to be made if you don’t have to travel to work every day you might have to spend some money to ensure that your home is kitted out for all of the work that you need to do, and you need to make sure that you tell your insurance company that you are working from home to make sure your policy is still suitable.
Many home insurance policies have clauses that say your house shouldn’t be used for business purposes so you should let them know if that is not the case.
And while you’re checking your home insurance policy for that clause it won’t do you any harm to check out that you do actually have enough cover for everything that you have in the house, especially if you have bought extra gadgets since lockdown started.
And just make sure that any high-value items you own are covered against all risks including accidental damage, rather than just against a basic fire and theft risk. There’s more chance of items being damaged if the house is full every day so there is no point taking unnecessary risks for the sake of a few extra pounds.
And remember that when your insurance is due for renewal don’t just automatically renew with the company you were with last year. Take the time to have a look round the market and make sure your policy is competitive and covers all of the risks you need covered.
