Is remote working solely to save money?
Absolutely not. Remote working has numerous advantages, including increased productivity and employee retention. And remote working does not only apply to employees who work from home (telecommuting). Freelancers, contract workers, frontline workers, international workers, and so on are all included.
Furthermore, a remote company can maintain a physical presence with an office. One advantage of remote working is that employees spend a couple of days in the office and the rest at home, ensuring that everyone stays in touch in person.
Remote working has become a way of life for many of us in recent years. And it has become the ‘new normal’ for many employees since the Covid-19 crisis. The next thing you know, people are connecting their laptops from home, instant messaging colleagues on Slack, and planning schedules on Trello.
Let us examine the benefits of remote work for both employees and employers in future.
What is Remote Work?
Working remotely enables professionals to conduct their business away from the boundaries of a workplace. However, it is predicated on the idea that work can be carried out in various locations to succeed.
How we approach work-life balance, communicate, and evaluate productivity are all being changed by remote work. The “great remote work experiment” has changed many norms that initially set the limits of our professional lives.
Businesses like Twitter have essentially declared a WFH “forever” policy. According to 53% of respondents in a recent survey in the United States, they intend to continue working from home at least part-time. The future of work will undoubtedly entail distributed, borderless, co-located, and remote workforces that use digital tools to stay connected and productive.
However, what exactly is remote work, and what are the benefits of remote work? Our guide to remote work will cover all that and more. Additionally, this guide to remote working will offer advice on how to transition to remote working if you’re just getting started and suggestions for improving your WFH experience. But let’s start with the fundamentals first.
20+ Benefits of Remote Work
The Benefits of Remote Work can advantages both the employer and the employee. Since remote work is becoming more and more common, finding a solution that works for both parties is essential.
1. Saving time:
Employees who work remotely can arrange their schedules and save time on travel. Certain people perform their best work in the morning. And some people get their best ideas in the evenings. You can work when you want, provided that your hours don’t interfere with those of your coworkers and that you fulfil deadlines.
Working remotely also saves time because teams can make video calls via the internet due to advancements in technology.
2. Flexibility and Independence:
Remote employees value their independence. They can organize their day to accommodate their professional and personal obligations as long as they work the assigned hours on time. For example, it can be easier to go to doctor’s appointments, watch the kids play basketball, or accompany your elderly parents shopping. Additionally, the burden is reduced by not needing to obtain specific authorization or blend in with the other team members. This kind of flexibility is given to workers by their employers, creating a trusting culture and increasing workplace happiness.
3. Positivity:
Is it a good idea for teams to work remotely? First, it can improve integration and communication. Through a contemporary company intranet, team members can stay in touch and appear present in the workplace.
This kind of effective collaboration can encourage motivation and happy feelings. Employee compensation may go above and beyond when you ask them to stay late or provide an outstanding presentation due to this. Additionally, remote workers are typically happier than office workers, which makes them strong brand ambassadors for the business.
4. Productivity:
An organization’s ability to grow depends on its productivity. Additionally, more efficient workers translate into higher profitability. Working from home can increase productivity because it is in the employee’s best interest to complete the task quickly and efficiently.
Similar to how a brief meeting on the internet is much more efficient than having everyone wait in line to enter a conference room and then having the meeting start 10 minutes late. Due to the advantages of remote meetings, participants are more productive because they have more time to complete their tasks.
5. Businesses become more competitive by providing remote work.
People, not products, missions, or corporate objectives, make businesses successful. The future goods, the effectiveness of your teams, and the expansion and health of your business plan will all be shaped by your personnel. Because of this, in today’s cutthroat business environment, the capacity to draw in and keep great personnel is a significant difference. In this context, remote employment might be advantageous because it creates a sense of mutual respect between employer and employee. According to Gallup, 35% of workers would switch occupations if it meant having the option to work full-time remotely. In addition, companies that provide flexible work schedules, such as whole, partial, or remote employment, may influence a candidate’s decision about their next career move.
6. Communication:
Employees occasionally find it unusual when they start working remotely. The lack of office conversation and the silence are unfamiliar to them. However, learning to speak with the right people at the right time without wasting time also promotes greater communication. Colleagues can chat and get to know one another through messenger services to see how they might help one another. Remote work encourages teamwork, which encourages communication.
7. Working remotely increases the wellbeing of the employee
Working remotely can improve an employee’s health and wellness by lowering stress and limiting exposure to possibly ill coworkers because there is no commute, lunch rush, or long hours spent in the office away from family or friends. Employers should take advantage of a wellness programme for remote workers; access to company health initiatives like gym memberships is just as crucial for people with flexible work schedules.
8. Work politics:
Office politics are a reality of working life. Both tiny businesses and multimillion-dollar corporations experience it. People will constantly cause or encounter challenging circumstances. In a workplace, there will always be likes and dislikes, tears, or anger. And it is up to the managers and human resources team to resolve these issues for the company’s benefit. Staff members are more productive and less bothered when workplace politics aren’t present.
9. A better work-life balance can be achieved by working remotely:
Even a few decades ago, working remotely would have been almost impossible for many businesses. Employees had to travel to the office to complete their work before the appropriate technology. What are the drawbacks of these technical advancements? The distinctions between work and home life are hazy. As a result, a lot of workers place a high priority on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The secret to feeling happier and more productive at work has been the capacity to strike a balance between these two worlds. Employees can achieve a better work-life balance and add hours to their days by saving the time they would have spent on a lengthy commute.
10. A relaxed environment:
Benefits of remote work is that you can arrange your workstation or office in any way you choose. So if you are messy, your coworkers won’t be upset with you. And if you’re the office tidy freak, you can concentrate on your own space.
A lot of people work better in their environments. For example, if you work from home as a freelancer or teleworker, you can arrange your desk however you like, shut the door if you like, and listen to music if it inspires your creativity.
11. Cost saving:
It might be costly to commute to work. Travel expenses, parking fees, meals, coffee breaks, birthday cakes, gifts for coworkers, work attire, and so on. Even as a benefit, some businesses provide clothing or refreshments. These costs, which can build up, are reduced while working remotely. In addition, this increases the amount of disposable cash that may be used for other purposes, which is always beneficial.
Remote work allows parents to spend more time at home, which can help cut childcare costs (although we don’t recommend working while young children are present!).
12. Location:
Employees can work from any location, which is another perk of working remotely. People are free to leave a place if it doesn’t meet their standards or preferences, which reduces the need for pointless travel. In addition, remote working enables partners to keep their jobs or at least smooth the transition if one spouse must be based or assigned to a specific place. Finally, living at the top of a mountain or close to the ocean is irrelevant when working remotely—work from anywhere globally as long as you have a strong internet connection.
13. Happiness and health:
The healthiest way to spend time isn’t driving to work every day and sitting in an office. The benefits of remote work is avoiding spreading germs from colds and coughs and coming into contact with other individuals, which is especially crucial in light of Covid-19.
Working remotely can help your mental health since it reduces stress and allows you to unwind while you’re doing it. Additionally, contented workers are more productive and driven, which results in higher-quality work.
14. Decrease in absenteeism:
Employees working from home are more likely to continue working if they are feeling a little under the weather. This is because they can take a break if necessary and are not required to travel while feeling ill. Compared to someone who only needs to walk from one room to another, someone who has a long commute is considerably more likely to call in ill.
Time off taken for meetings or activities is also covered by this. Employees will only take unneeded time off if they can plan their day around their job.
15. Reduced Carbon Footprint:
Working remotely benefits both the environment and the company. About half of all occupied positions in the US have remote work options. Furthermore, 79% of employees in those positions desire to work remotely. More than 50 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses would be prevented from entering the atmosphere if those US professionals quit driving to work and began working from home.
Your company plan’s inclusion of remote work regulations will show potential clients that you are an ethical and ecologically conscious business owner. In addition, a Nielsen study reveals how business owners’ environmental concerns affect consumers’ purchasing choices.
16. Pool of talent:
When choosing remote employees, business owners have a greater selection of personnel. Depending on the time zones, employees need to be somewhere other than local and may be located anywhere in the world. In addition, due to the increased likelihood of finding workers with particular capabilities, training costs are reduced.
Relocation expenses for the business, which can cost thousands of dollars, are another advantage of hiring remote staff. And since they grew up with technology that makes working remotely possible, today’s millennials almost take it for granted.
17. Improved Retention and Employee Satisfaction:
One of the most popular benefits of remote work businesses can provide to job searchers is telework, to the point that, according to a Mom Corps online study, 42% of workers would accept a pay loss from their employers in exchange for more flexible work arrangements. Surprisingly, despite the high unemployment rate among adults in this age group, working persons between 18 and 34 are ready to sacrifice more than 10% of their earnings to benefit from the increased professional flexibility that telecommuting offers.
18. Quietness and peace:
A traditional office is frequently loud and distracting. People are talking, phones are ringing, and there is a general buzz. While this is great for socializing, working in this environment can be challenging. Some people require complete silence to concentrate. Working remotely, especially from home, can encourage creative thinking and increase productivity. Silence is priceless, whether it’s a beautiful view from the window or a brick wall.
19. Gaining access to larger markets:
Access to new clients and markets is critical for a company. With remote work, you can ensure a skilled and adaptable workforce spread across multiple locations. This talent network lets you connect with clients worldwide in person or via telecommuting.
20. Work-life integration:
Working from home allows for a better work/life balance. Working away from the office can give you a sense of control over your life and more time to plan work and home tasks. Employees are more productive as a result of this sense of accomplishment. When working from home:
- There is no need to rush to catch a train or to sit in traffic.
- You are not required to bring any files or your laptop.
- You can take a break whenever you want.
- There are no tense workplace politics.
- You have more time with your family.
21: Improved Disaster Preparedness:
Suppose a permanent telecommuting arrangement is not on your radar; developing a remote work contingency plan for a natural disaster. In that case, a local or national emergency or outbreak of a community-wide illness is a wise decision. During a crisis, non-essential onsite staff could work from home or another flexible worksite, utilizing collaborative applications such as online meeting software and instant messaging. A temporary telework action plan will help ensure the safety of your employees and the stability of your business operations.
Wrapping up
Remote work is not for everyone and will not be for all industries. However, there are some significant benefits of remote work for both employees and employers in the growing number of industries where remote work is a viable way of doing business. It is up to you to take advantage of these benefits.