The work-from-home business model continues to grow and gain traction among many successful and growing companies.  Each year, FlexJobs publishes a list of the 100 employers who posted the most work-at-home and remote jobs in the preceding 12 months – Austin-based computer giant, Dell, ranks #3 on that list.  Overall, in 2013 FlexJobs reported a 25% increase in mobile or work-at-home jobs, mostly because technology has made it practical to do more kinds of work remotely.

So, what are the advantages of allowing employees to buck the traditional work environment and seek their own personal office sanctuary at home, in a coffee shop or shared workspace? 

ProLedge is a thriving business built on this model.  For us, the biggest advantage is substantially less overhead while providing a proper work/life balance for our dedicated employees. 

You, as our customer, become the beneficiary of increased productivity, happier employees, less turnover, less overhead and less time and money spent recruiting. We’re able to keep your bookkeeping rates low while providing top-notch bookkeepers working hard for your company – whether they are in your office or their home office.

If you’re considering implementing a telecommuting initiative for your employees,  check out some other practical (and amusing) advantages of the work-from-home business model that we borrowed from Jennifer Parris, FlexJobs’ Career Writer:

1. “You fall into one of two camps: the people who are always freezing, or the people who are constantly hot.”

But, when you work from home:

You control the thermostat—always. You can have it as cool or as toasty warm as you would like. That is, until your oil bill comes in and you decide layers aren’t such a bad thing after all.

2. “You will feel intense hatred toward anyone in your office who comes to work sick. Then put on your bravest ‘I feel great!’ face when you yourself come into work sick.”

But, when you work from home:

You never, ever have to worry about sick coworkers. The worst thing your colleague can do is “Achoo!” via IM. Your kid coming home from school with a runny nose and fever is another story, though….

3. “At some horrifying point, you will hear one of your coworkers fart (or worse, poop in the bathroom!), and you’ll have to continue on with life as if nothing has changed.”But, when you work from home:

But, when you work from home:

Bathroom activity is restricted to you and you alone.

4. “Regardless of your relationship status, you will develop a work crush.”

But, when you work from home:

You might start liking the sound of your colleague’s voice during your weekly Skype meetings, but it is almost impossible for a workplace crush to form or blossom, especially if you live in Miami and your workplace crush lives in Minnesota.

5. “You will either be the fiscally responsible adult who brings lunch to work every day, or the person who knows every takeout place by heart.”

But, when you work from home:

More than likely you will be raiding your fridge looking for last night’s lasagna instead of getting takeout delivered to your door.

6. “You’ll gain five pounds from all of the birthday cookies, cupcakes, and cake that’s floating around.”

But, when you work from home:

Actually, this one is still possible.  Try to be disciplined about snacking and to get some exercise when you work from home, or you could start adding on pounds.  One easy idea is (since there are no colleagues to judge) set an alarm for a few times throughout the day where you have to do some push ups, jumping jacks, run up and down stairs, or stretch.

7. “You’ll put one personal thing in your office drawer, and one day open it up and realize that you now live out of that drawer.”

But, when you work from home:

It can be hard to keep your work life and your personal life separate, especially when they reside under one roof. The key is to keep your home office strictly a place of work and only personalize it with a few special items. Extra candies, aspirin, and tons of framed photos of your kids? Keep them in their place in the house and not in your home office.

8. “You will have REALLY bad days where you end up fantasizing about setting things on fire.”

But, when you work from home:

Sure, you might have your occasional off day, but unless you have an excellent fire insurance policy on your pad, you won’t dare think to light a match.

9. “You will know every single detail of your coworkers’ personal lives, whether they know it or not.”

But, when you work from home:

While learning how to communicate when you work from home is important, you’ll learn that you don’t have to communicate everything (such as the fight you had with your spouse) to your coworkers. Being face-to-face allows for a more personal connection with your colleagues, but working from home can give you some much-needed personal privacy.

10. “Simple pleasures, like casual Fridays or free lunch Wednesdays will make you happy to an almost irrational point.”

But, when you work from home:

Let’s face it: when you telecommute, every day is a casual Friday—or a sloppy Saturday—depending on your choice of office attire. The point of casual Fridays is to be relaxed, and working from home automatically creates a more relaxed, happier work environment—every single day.