10 Good Reasons to Work From Home (at the Last Minute)

For most of us with a strong internet signal and reliable remote technology, there is no reason why we can’t work from home when the situation allows.

Life can be unpredictable and there will be times when you’ll need to request to work from home at the last minute. Working from home can be highly productive if you structure your workday effectively.

Having some valid reasons at hand can be handy and can even save your career.

Good Reasons to Work From Home Last Minute

There are many good reasons for a last-minute request to work from home. Most of these reasons are unexpected and personal. For example, you might have a house inspection at short notice, you might need to sign for a delivery, you might have to look after someone who is ill, or you are experiencing car trouble.

In this article, we discuss the ten most popular reasons why you might need to work from home without having much notice.

Not only will this help you to avoid any penalties, but it will make it easier for you to make a similar request in the future.

1. You have a sick family member

We all get sick from time to time and have to take sick leave while we recover. Although the United States does not offer universally-guaranteed sick leave for permanent employees, few employers would begrudge you time off for an emergency illness.

In a perfect world, sick leave entitlements would include caring for family members such as dependent children and elderly relatives.

While you need to be at home to supervise and provide care, you yourself are not ill so you can work while you’re at home to avoid having to take paid or unpaid leave.

2. You have to sign for a delivery

Most of us shop online for all sorts of goods, from shoes and clothing to white goods and furniture. In 2020, 59% of Americans reported receiving some type of package at least once a week. Staggeringly, 43% of people who receive deliveries report having had a package stolen. Most worryingly, almost two-thirds of these people have experienced more than one theft.

If you live in an unsafe part of town where doorstop thievery is common, your best bet is to wait for your delivery at home.

Sometimes, especially for larger and more expensive items, you will also need to sign for your item. Delivery companies will often give you a ‘delivery window’ of several hours so the best use of your time is to spend the day working from home, happy with the knowledge that you will be there you’re your item is delivered.

3. There is a public transport strike

If bus, train, and tram drivers decide to strike for more pay and/or better working conditions, you may not have a timely way to get to work. Hiring a car on short notice is impractical, and using a taxi or ride-share company can become extremely expensive thanks to surge pricing policies.

Unless your company is willing to pay for your private transport, working from home is the sensible option.

The same is true if you drive to work and there are major roadworks on your usual route. If they will add a lot of time to your commute, you will be more productive using this time to work from home. Not only will this save you time, but probably your stress levels as well.

4. You’ve been burgled!

In the United States, there are an average of 2.5 million burglaries each year, with around two-thirds of these being home break-ins. If you’ve been violated by a burglar you will need to file a police report and call the insurance company as soon as possible. If you work from home during this time, you will be able to accommodate visits from the police and the insurance inspectors.

5. You are having car trouble

Most of us have experienced car trouble at some point or another. It doesn’t matter whether you have a flat battery or a twisted tire thanks to a fender bender. If your car needs urgent repair, working from home is a more constructive use of your time than trying to navigate public transportation routes that you are not familiar with.

6. You have tradespeople

Tradespeople are notoriously busy and if there is a shortage of qualified builders, plumbers, and electricians in your area, you may have to wait months for an appointment. Rather than cancel because of work, working from home is a sensible alternative.

Sure, you might have to put up with a day of loud noise, but a sturdy pair of noise-canceling headphones will help you get through the day without too much trouble.

7. You have a house inspection

If you rent a house or apartment, you will need to undergo a rental inspection at least once or twice a year. It’s a good idea to be there while your landlord makes their way through your home so that you can discuss any issues that might arise on the spot.

8. You have had an injury

Most of us have suffered from a non-life-threatening injury at some point in our lives.

In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded a total of 39.5 million medically reported accidents and poisonings from a population of over 310 million people.

If you have a sedentary job where you work on the computer for much of the day, these types of injuries won’t prevent you from continuing to work. However, they are inconvenient and might make it harder for you to get yourself around.

Even if the injury is minor, working from home for a few days will help you rest and recover without diminishing your productivity.

9. You have a dental emergency

While most of us try to schedule regular trips to the dentist, a dental emergency such as a broken tooth or lost filling might require a last-minute appointment. Rather than wasting time commuting to work, going to the dentist, and then back to work before your commute back home, working from home will save you time, effort, and probably a lot of pain.

10. There is an emergency at home

There are few guarantees in life beyond how unpredictable it can be. At home, there are a number of potential emergencies that will need your immediate attention. This includes:

• Lost roof tiles thanks to a storm
• A leaky ceiling
• Burst water pipes
• Smoke damage thanks to an overcooked meal
• A malfunctioning heater in the middle of winter
• A malfunctioning air-conditioning in the middle of summer

If you work from home, you will be able to let the insurance inspectors and tradespeople in to do their jobs and get your house back to normal as soon as possible.

Why Do You Need a Strong Reason When Requesting to Work From Home?

Why Do You Need To Know What is a Good Reason to Ask Work From Home

If you have a valid reason to request work from home at the last minute, you are more likely to be granted the request, and your boss will likely be more understanding. Working from home allows you to take care of personal responsibilities without having to leave work early, miss important deadlines, or miss a workday.

When something unexpected happens at home or in your personal life, which requires you to work from home, having a list of good reasons will help your case. This is especially important if you are requesting to work from home at the last minute.

If your employer agrees, you’ll be able to get the work done from the comfort of your own home. Plus, you won’t have to worry about traffic, parking, or other hassles that come with working in an office.

Thus, if your work allows you to work remotely, just make sure that you have a good excuse ready, so if you’re ever in a bind and need to work from home, you’ll have the option to choose between taking an urgent leave, requesting for an early leave from office, or requesting to work from home.

Otherwise, if you find difficulty in balancing your work and personal life, it might be wise to explore the option of finding a new job or changing your career path that will suit your needs.

Benefits of Working From Home For Employees And Employers

While you may have many reasons to work from home, there are many great benefits of working from home that makes it worthwhile to ask your boss to let you make a change on the work environment and let you get a chance to work at home or start a flexible work schedule.

1. Increased flexibility of the working hours

Working from home at your own home office means you get to be in more control over your work schedule and having a flexible schedule means you are able to better arrange your time to suit your work.

• Do you need to have an early meeting?
• Do you need to have a video call with your client in the evening hours?
• Do you want to start your work early so you can end your work early?
• Do you have something important to settle in the morning and wish to work later in the evening to complete all your task at hand.

Having flexible schedule helps you to get more done at than when you are stuck in the cubicle clocking in and out at a fixed time. According to a study, 43% of all remote workers work more when they WFH, with the given flexibly, these workers are willing to work longer hours for the benefit of the company.

2. Increased productivity

Without the distractions of a traditional office environment, office politics with coworkers, and long coffee breaks that disrupts work. The remote employee can continue working with fewer interruptions, having a higher level of productivity working from home than in-office.

Employee who work fully remotely are found to be 13% more productive than those who goes to the office.

3. Reduced Daily Commute Time and Cost

Remote work by definition means that you can work anywhere as long as you have the access of the internet and laptop. Working from home gives remote employees the option take time back from commuting to work.

The average time to commute to work is 27.6 minutes, and a two way trip will cost you 55.2 minutes. Meaning you spend almost an hour of your time just on commute. Wasted time are spend just because you need to go back to the office even when the same task can be performed remotely.

Unless your job requires you to go into the office to deal with things in-person, wasting time commuting to work don’t really make sense. The lost time can add up quickly especially if you are staying from from your office.

4. Improved work-life balance

Working from home means you get to enjoy more time for personal activities and able to spend more meaningful time with your family.

Getting the option to work in an environment where you feel the most comfortable compared to getting to office every day helps you to gain a better mental health.

Having a better work-life balance will lead to fewer sick days and can have an overall positive impact to your work performance and family life.

Studies on the remote teams by MIT and University of Minnesota shows that remote workers are 86% happier and less stressed than those who return to the office.

5. Cost savings for employers

Cost saving is a big reason why business leaders and business owners should consider having their employees work from home instead of coming and work in the office.

Many companies who offers fully remote jobs sees an 13% increase in employee retention. An average of 30% of employees (calculated from monthly average ) quit their job each year, the replacement cost of each employee is on average of 33% the the new employee’s salary.

The sum can quickly add up to trillions of dollars in the United States, and big chunk of the operation cost of the organization.

Furthermore, without having employee working at a physical office space, you can save from have the need to creating workspace for the employee.

Takeaway On The Reasons To Working From Home

The Covid-19 pandemic have transformed how we work and because of the pandemic, many companies have explored the possibility of having employees to work-from-home.

While many companies succeed in the transformation, some are still very reluctant to make the leap of faith. While work from home gives many benefits and there are many valid reasons why you should work from home or try to ask for it, there are some jobs where remote work is not as suitable.

Regardless what is your reasons to ask to work from home, these reasons listed together with the benefits that comes from working from home can help you the next time you want to work remotely.

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