Is your business yet to get on board with the practice of letting employees work from places outside of the office? Many companies are happy for their staff to work from home from time to time or even exclusively though there are still a number of businesses that are nervous about rolling it out. If you’re on the fence about the matter, here are a few reasons your business should be embracing remote working.
It can boost productivity
Without the usual office distractions, those who work remotely often report feeling more productive. For example, a Canada Life survey showed that remote workers ranked their productivity at almost 8/10 compared to just 6.5/10 for office workers. That’s not altogether surprising from full control of the choice of music to being able to focus on work without being pulled into meetings or interrupted with questions, remote workers tend to get more done. Gallup’s survey shows that remote workers log more hours than those in the office, and even tend to feel more connected to their company than office-based workers, despite the physical difference between themselves and the shared workspace.
Remote working can improve satisfaction
We know that multiple factors influence motivation and job satisfaction in the workplace, and chief among them nowadays is the ability to have a good work-life balance with flexible working conditions. That’s why remote working should be something every good employer should be offering wherever possible, ensuring the best talent is attracted and retained within the business.
It reduces overhead costs
Another benefit of remote working is that it reduces your need for various expenses. For example, encouraging a team of 100 people to take turns to work remotely means you can rent a building that can accommodate just 50, slashing your monthly overheads, as well as reducing the expense of buying and maintaining additional desks, computers, monitors and even the Wi-Fi package you’re paying for. A little contingency room is a good idea, as is having the option to snap up more space in case your team grows, but remote working does a great deal to reduce the cost of housing your entire workforce every day.
It can boost a company’s green credentials
Working in a way that respects the environment is only going to become a more prevalent issue. And it’s another area the benefits of remote working shine. By encouraging employees to work remotely, you could be doing a great deal to reduce your business’s carbon footprint. This encourages workers to stay at home rather than driving cars or taking public transport.
As you can see, there are a number of reasons your business should be embracing remote working. But, how can you make a success of it? Well, some key things to consider doing include:
- setting expectations with staff who are working remotely, defining goals, clearly explaining how the output will be measured, and ensuring everyone’s on board with how objectives and outcomes will be documented
- equipping your team with the right tools, such as software that enables teams to work remotely from anywhere in the world on a number of devices
- facilitating communication, which means embracing technology including Skype, Slack and other forms of instant messaging
- creating team spirit by holding regular check-ins, feeding back on what’s happening in the office (both good and bad) and organising face-to-face meet-ups where possible.
So, will you implement remote working in your place? And if not, why not?
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