National Work from Home Day Date in the current year: June 27, 2024

Work from home, also known as remote work, telework or telecommuting, is just what it says on the tin: it is the practice of working from one’s home or another space (for example, a coffee shop, library, or coworking space) rather than from an office. The terms “telework” and “telecommuting” were coined by Jack Nilles in 1973, and the term “remote work” became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The practice of working from home originated in the early 1970s due to the advent of technology making it possible. It became more common toward the end of the 20th century thanks to the increasing prevalence of Internet access and the rapid development of technology facilitating remote work.

However, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that helped normalize remote work: because of lockdowns, millions of workers around the globe started working from home, having no other choice. Even when the pandemic was finally declared over, many employers allowed their employees to continue working from home or at least gave them the opportunity to work from home several days a week.

Work from home has a number of benefits for both employers and employees. It reduces costs for organizations and workers, allows for a more flexible schedule and can help employees achieve a better work-life balance, boosts employee loyalty and reduces turnover rate. Of course, remote work isn’t without its drawbacks, but for many organizations and employees, the pros of remote work outweigh its cons.

Besides, some of the drawbacks of remote work can be neutralized by organizing your work effectively. For example, when you notice that the lines between work and home have started to blur, you need to create a work schedule and stick to it, separate your workspace from family spaces, turn off work notifications outside of work hours, and ask your family members to respect your work hours and not distract you.

It is unclear who and when came up with the idea of observing National Work from Home Day, but it’s great that someone did because the benefits of remote work surely deserve to be celebrated. There are many ways to get involved with National Work from Home Day depending on your position in your company.

If you’re in a leadership position, consider letting your employees work from home at least occasionally (of course, if their work can be done from home and your company’s policy allows it). If you’re an employee, spend the day working from home in your most comfortable clothes, think about the ways to improve your workstation at home, and share your work-from-home experiences on social media with the hashtags #NationalWorkFromHomeDay and #WorkFromHomeDay to spread the word about the holiday.