The trend of remote working has been growing over the last couple of years and to date, it continues to gain popularity within companies across the globe. More and more businesses are adopting this working model because most times, it brings about positive outcomes.
We are talking about a win-win situation. By allowing your employees to work remotely, they are able to spend more time with families, they get to act with more autonomy and they get to experience work-life balance that everyone wishes for.
As a result, companies reduce their operations costs and end up with a more productive and happier workforce. However, this working model does not only suit tech professionals. It can definitely be adopted by most companies, regardless of the industry. Here we’ll highlight some of the benefits that non-tech companies can have with a remote workforce.
#1: Increased Productivity
A recent study revealed that 53 percent of employees would often overwork when working remotely, while only 28 percent of on-site-workers would be happy to work longer hours. The reasons why remote workers will gladly put in more hours are endless, but the main one is because of the comfort and flexibility of this working model. Think about it: what’s an extra hour or two when you get to work from your own couch?
According to a Highfive report, 90 percent of employees say they would work smarter and more efficiently when they’re given the option to choose where they’d like to work. The same report also revealed that 44 percent of employees experience fewer distractions and are able to focus better when working from home.
#2: Retaining Good Employees
Allowing your employees to work remotely will help you retain top talents. A recent study conducted by QuickBooks showed that employees who work remotely have higher job satisfaction compared to those who don’t. In the same report, we can see that 53 percent of remote employees are not considering leaving their jobs, while 54 percent of those who work from office is looking for a new company to work for. It is likely that one of the reasons is the flexibility to work from home.
This is also backed by another survey by Flexjobs which aimed at getting some insights into the level of satisfaction in remote workers. This survey showed that 83 percent of employees would be more loyal to their companies if they are allowed to work remotely.
#3: Lesser Costs
This is one of the most significant benefits of hiring a remote workforce. Companies save a lot of money that typically would cover the expenses of energy consumption, real estate, hardware devices, and even janitorial services. When you’re working with a remote workforce, there’s not even a need to have a physical office space. On top of that, remote employees will likely be working with their own devices, so that saves the company some expenses on infrastructure.
If you’re worried about data servers, you can always purchase a subscription for a cloud service. This will enable your employees to access data from wherever they are and share large files smoothly by using a high-quality bandwidth. Cloud service is much less expensive than having an on-site server hiding on a deposit at the office.
#4: It’s a Healthier Option
When you’re working at an office, you’re very likely to share your space with others and on most occasions, you don’t get to choose who you’re seated next to. When a colleague falls ill, you are immediately exposed to the risks of being sick as well. Such is not the case with a remote workforce. Now there’s a good reason why the federal government has instructed professionals to telecommunicate as much as they can. This way, a lot of us can avoid the risk of spreading diseases and germs.
This isn’t the only reason why telecommunicating is healthier. People who work from home also experience less stress than others who work at the office. This could be related to the sense of comfort that home brings or the good relationship that they begin to form with loved ones at home. Regardless, one thing is for sure—most individuals are happier when given the flexibility to work remotely.
#5: Access to Top Talent
Recruiting is a tough process—you have to screen for qualified talents, interview potential candidates, and make a financial decision that will make both parties happy. It is even more challenging when you limit your candidate search to only the locals. Hiring remote workers can open a huge pool of talent for companies. This will allow recruiters to choose from a variety of aspirants who aren’t necessarily located in their city. In fact, there are some professionals like software engineers who prefer to always work remotely.
Besides, people are more likely to work at a company if they have the flexibility to work remotely. This will also ensure that you’ll hire only the top talents. Once you found a good employee, you won’t have to worry about loyalty as they will want to stay at a considerate company that can provide flexibility in terms of working models.
#6: Better Performance
This is not just a matter of efficiency and reduced working hours, the results will also be better. According to the previous Flexjobs report, 40 percent of teleworkers produced better outcomes when working from home in comparison to times spent at the office. Perhaps one of the reasons for higher quality work when working from home is that they are able to minimize distractions and concentrate better on tasks at hand.
#7: Companies Are More Eco-Friendly
As previously discussed, a completely remote workforce would eliminate the need for a physical office location. Therefore, the energy consumption will also be less. If you are a business that is looking for a greener way to operate, consider adopting a remote working model.
Wrapping up
Although not all companies are capable to work with a completely remote workforce, they can surely benefit from a huge pool of talent of professionals like digital marketers, software developers, or web designers. Migrating to a digital atmosphere is crucial for companies to reduce their expenses and start working with the best talents available.
