5 Ways Work-from-Home Jobs Have Changed Over The Years
I have been researching about work-from-home jobs for about 10 years now. And one thing I realized is that telecommuting jobs have really changed over the years. Shewt, I’ve seen some jobs I wouldn’t mind applying for myself.
Not that I have time for it but it’s good to know I have something to fall back on if this blogging thing doesn’t work out. One thing for sure is I’m never going back to Corporate America.
You see, I didn’t start my blogging journey until 2011. Before that, I was just like you. I was looking for a work-from-home job to help make ends meet and be home for my family. I realized I enjoyed the search and helping people more than anything and that’s how I started the blog.
Anyway, I started working from home back in 2007 when I quit my job after having enough of the long hours and a crappy upper manager. You can read about my story on Enstine Muki’s blog when he asked me to share how I make money from home.
Let me tell yah, things have certainly changed from when I first started working from home.
And the more I thought about it, I came up with four ways work-from-home jobs have evolved and if you’ve decided to find a work-from-home job you couldn’t have picked a better time for this year to be “your year.”
Check this out.
#1 More Well-Known Companies Offer Work-from-Home Positions
When I was looking for a work-from-home job, there weren’t many big named companies who offered this option. And if memory serves me correctly, I never came across a listing from a big named company the whole time I was searching.
Only smaller companies allowed their employees to work from home. Companies like WESTAT, TeleNetwork and Cloud 10 (now Transcom) – who I worked for in 2009 as a customer service agent.
Fast forward to today and wow, the opportunities sure have grown. There are more well-known companies who now offer work from home positions to their employees. Read my post Legit Remote Customer Service Rep Jobs to see a list of companies that lets their employees work from home.
#2 More Job Types Available
There are more job types available today than there was 10 years ago. The most common job listings you’d find on job search sites back then were customer service reps, sales and telemarketing.
And as far as side hustle gigs went, online surveys was THE thing to do.
Now when you search for work-from-home jobs you’ll come across jobs listings to fill other positions like nursing, web developers, travel agents, and medical coders.
#3 The Pay Is Better
When I left my job, I also left good pay. I won’t lie, when I saw that jobs like customer service reps only made $9 an hour it freaked me out at first. But when you want something to work out really bad, you’ll make ends meet. We adjusted our budget, changed shopping habits and made it work.
The good thing about the work-from-home jobs is that the pay has gotten better. Most jobs now start at $12 an hour or more depending on the type of job.
I know, it’s still not much. But remember you’re working from the comfort of your own home, you don’t have to drive in traffic, you save gas, you’re not adding miles to your car and you don’t have to buy work clothes – I’d say that’s a pretty good trade off, right?
Still, I hope to see the pay rate increase in the future.
#4 Finally, Some Benefits
This one is my favorite. Finally, some work-from-home jobs that come with a health benefits package! As a remote employee you now get medical, dental and eye health coverage for yourself and family members.
When I left my jobs I also left good benefits. Thankfully, I didn’t get sick often so I hardly used my medical benefits but my son who suffers from a seizure disorder had to be moved over to the hubs insurance and since we’re not legally married, I was unable to get coverage.
As someone who can’t afford to get sick because of the high insurance deductible, it’s good to see there are companies who offer benefits packages to their work-from-home employees.
#5 Paid Time Off
I never thought I would see the day companies gave their remote employees paid time off, but they are! Now remote employees can enjoy perks like in-house employees such as paid vacation and sick pay.
Wrapping Up
And there you have it. The five things that are different about work-from-home jobs than they were just 10 years ago.
If you know anyone who is looking for a work-from-home job, please share this blog post with them.