How to Plan for Hidden Costs of Returning to the Office
For many of us, working from home has become an economical way to transform our professional lives. Barring any initial home office setup – especially if your employer didn’t provide financial support – you probably didn’t have many of the usual expenses associated with dressing, commuting, and socializing. But if a return to the office is unavoidable, you can plan ahead for some hidden personal work costs. Here are a few items to include in your budget.
Budget New Travel Costs
If you can’t walk to work, you’re likely to incur some travel expenses: public transportation, gasoline, parking, ride-sharing, or perhaps a combination of several options. You will want to think about what is realistic, convenient, and most affordable for your situation now, and whether your employer offers any travel-to-work benefits that may help cover general costs.
Make a plan for taking care of pets and children
Our dogs are some of the biggest losers in the return to office life. After a year and a half, when we are at home all day, every day, they again have to get used to spending time alone. It also means you can re-hire dog breeders, take your pet to daycare, or sneak out at noon to release him (adding to the cost of your trip to work).
Of course, you will also need to look after the children who are out of school – a potentially significant expense if you do the dual jobs of working and raising children during the day.
Budgeting new work clothes, especially if your body has changed
If the comfortable clothes you worked in from the couch don’t match your office dress code, you may need to freshen up your wardrobe with suitable clothing. There is no reason for this if you still have (and love) your pre-pandemic wardrobe, but if you have changed jobs, updated your style, or significantly changed weight since the pandemic began, it could cost you money. … Remember to include laundry or dry cleaning services if necessary.
Plan additional dinners and social events
A bar drink with your coworkers is more expensive than a beer from your fridge during Zoom’s happy hour, so if you’re planning to start in person, make sure you have a budget. The same goes for coffee, meals and other meals not prepared at home and outside of business hours.
And, of course, the budget for other little things.
Office supplies and supplies that don’t come standard fall into this category, whether it’s items to make your desk more comfortable or a new insulated take-away coffee mug.
While some of these out-of-pocket work expenses don’t necessarily have to blow your budget, travel to work and childcare may be necessary if you don’t want to. Either way, this is all getting more expensive, so we might want to go back to socializing and keep our wardrobes simple to keep costs down for a while.