As someone who lives on the mainland and works on the island I have had my own fair share of coming home late from work. Sometimes it is just due to meetings and a hectic work load. But the most common reasons most men come home late from work is to avoid the crunching Lagos traffic. I also think those in managerial positions, spend more time doing productive work when others have closed. We all know how much of an issue this can be to our loved ones who stay awake for us to get home safely. We are also aware of the emotional strain it causes in marriages. But could there just be some benefits? Maybe not much but here are a few that comes to mind;
Earn more money – Working late often leads to higher pay as hardworking employees often get compensated for putting in extra work. Some people can’t pass up this extra incentive and prefer to just put in more hours of work in exchange for an allowance or even a promotion. The extra money you earn can then be saved or put in a viable investment.
Fuel, Wear & Tear – Driving home from work during the rush hour does not only cause physical strain and you are also likely to burn more fuel as a typical 30 mins journey can take about 2hours to conclude during the rush hour. Therefore by staying at work late to avoid traffic, you get to drive on a freeway devoid of the traffic congestion the rush hour causes. That can save you almost N30,000 a month by my estimate.
Generator – Most people only get to turn on their main generators when they are home, preferring to rely on substitutes such as an inverter or a smaller generator when they are not home. This also saves you some money on fueling or diesel which you would have otherwise incurred had you been home early. This can save about N20,000 a month as well.
Feeding – Most people who get home late after work resist eating very late at night. It’s all part of healthy living preferring only to eat heavy during their lunch break. This habit is helped when you stay at work late as you avoid eating whenever you get home. This saves you money spent on feeding which for families living on a budget can be very material. You can save an average of N10,000 a month on this.
Utility Bills – For those who are at work between 12-14 hours a day, it is not surprising that they incur very minimum electricity and water bills. Especially for those who are lucky to have pre-paid meters. They hardly use power supply from the utility companies and consume less water. It is very likely that if you get home early from work you will consume more power that if you got home late.
Dependents – People will always run to who they see all the time for money. But if you are they type who leaves home very early in the morning and come back late, it is likely that you will face fewer people approaching you for financial assistance. Since they hardly see you, it is a ready made excuse to avoid them.
Please note that the examples above is by no means a strong enough excuse to come home late from work. I believe the benefits of doing that is way below the benefits of coming home early. It’s just that everything has advantages and disadvantages and it is always good to point them out.
