Is Remote Work Right For Your Company?
When most people think of the benefits of remote work, they tend to equate them with the employees, not the employers. And while there are certainly numerous advantages of telecommuting for your staff, as it turns out, having a remote workforce will greatly benefit you as the employer, too.
Recent studies have supported the idea that working from home – for the right people – can increase productivity, decrease stress, absenteeism, and increase general overall happiness and enthusiasm towards the job. Research also suggests companies that encourage and support a work-from-home protocol actually save money in the long run; an added bonus on the employer side.
So what are some of the definitive benefits for supporting Remote Workers?
1: Remote workers are less stressed
Remote working can empower staff and provide a less stressful environment in the office and the workplace.
2: Remote workers are well connected
New business trends like remote administration, cloud-based project management, video conferencing, chat programs, and BYOD are extending the effectiveness of remote work.
3: Remote workers cost less
Encouraging different ways of working allows companies to reduce their rent, property costs, and overhead.
4: Absenteeism is good
Not in the AWOL sense, but the ability to work remotely eliminates the necessity for ‘presenteeism’ — being in the office as much as possible can be a road block to a healthy work/life balance.
5: Your staff will be more productive.
If you let an employee work from home, he’s sure to slack all day and miss his deadlines, right? Wrong. Studies have shown that a telecommuting staff is more productive than in-office workers. Chalk it up to not having chatty coworkers and more time to focus on work for just some of the reasons why they’re more productive
6: Companies benefit from happier remote employees
Try squeezing a de-stressing lunchtime doze into your office day. That’s right; it’s impossible. “It’s about working with the grain of people’s lives,” said Jonathan Swan, policy and research officer for Working Families, a charity specializing in work/life balance.
7: Remote workers are more engaged and in turn more loyal
When you give your employees the ability to customize their schedule so that they can better balance their professional life and their personal life, an interesting thing happens: they become grateful. In turn, their gratitude manifests itself in the form of loyalty towards the company which creates greater productivity and decreased turnover, which, as any employer knows, is a great cost savings.
8: Remote venues can be better than the office
Flexible working isn’t just at home — there may be somewhere near home with better facilities like coffee shops, libraries, and even office spaces for rent, ie: Regus.
9: Commuting is bad for you
Commuters have lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that their daily activities are worthwhile, lower levels of happiness and higher anxiety on average than non- commuters which can directly reflect on job performance and attitude towards work.
Working remotely is not just a trend but a revolution.
The remote work revolution has been rumbling across industries for years now, and it isn’t over yet. Flexible working is a done deal, but remote working continues to spread. Andy Lake, editor of flexible work resource Flexibility, said Department for Business surveys showed that more than 90% of companies offered flexible working of some kind, but that this was mostly flexible hours and part-time working rather than telecommuting. Expect more staff to disappear from the old cube farm as more staff convince their bosses to let them work from home.
Sources:
https://remote.co/6-interesting-benefits-of-remote-work/
https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-good-reasons-why-working-remotely-makes-sense/
https://www.monster.com/technology/a/The-Benefits-of-Working-From-Home
https://www.15five.com/blog/is-remote-work-right-for-your-company/
https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/resources/costs-benefits
