Key Benefits of Remote Work
The last decade has seen an increase in demand for remote work in the business world. Remote work carried a negative connotation until recently. Companies believed it to be disadvantageous to them and only allowed their employees to work from home for particular reasons or a specific period. But the traditional work set-up of working from 9 to 5 in an office can be disagreeable for certain people. It is the reason a lot of people prefer freelancing over working full-time with companies.
In recent years though, businesses are realizing the benefits of remote work and are trying to incorporate remote employees in their companies. Today, after the strict lockdowns world-wide because of the outbreak of coronavirus, remote work has gained popularity and acceptance. If you are still not sold on the idea of remote work, in this post, we list some benefits of remote work for employers as well as employees.
BENEFITS OF REMOTE WORK FOR EMPLOYEES:
Flexibility
We stated above how certain people don’t prefer working the 9 to 5 shift, so to speak. Working from an office entails complying with the set working hours. Remote work offers employees more flexibility. There are jobs that don’t require you to work according to office hours. As long as you are submitting your expected work regularly and not missing deadlines, you have the freedom to work hours that you see fit. For example, if you are a web designer, you are good to go as long as you submit your project within the deadline. It doesn’t matter if you begin working at 9 in the morning or 9 in the evening. You can choose the hours during which you feel most productive and work in those hours. Such flexibility makes remote work attractive to a lot of people.
Balanced life
Working jobs and balancing your life can be challenging. As a human, you have obligations to yourself and your family. But when you work fixed hours, it can be difficult to juggle both without upsetting one. This can lead to a stressful life where you may end up resenting one aspect of your life. The flexibility offered by remote work allows you to balance your work life and personal life. You can attend to your family and their needs without needing to take off early from work, take a leave of absence, or compromising work at all. You only need to ensure that you are putting in your work’s required hours and sincere efforts for the company. Remote work alleviates a lot of stress in employees and improves their mental health.
Increased work focus
Remote work comes with no office distractions. There are no colleagues chatting with you, no water-cooler talks, and no unnecessary meetings. Although you may argue that family can be distracting at your home, it doesn’t necessarily have to be so. You cannot escape office distractions, whereas you can avoid family distractions by assigning yourself a secluded wok space at your home where you are not disturbed when working. Additionally, remote work doesn’t mean you have to work from home; it can be anywhere as long as it is not the office. By having your own workspace with no interruptions, you are bound to focus better on your work. You create an environment for yourself where you can concentrate better and get more done in fewer hours. Also, we stated earlier how some jobs allow you to work at any time of the day. By getting to select when you can work, you can work the hours when you are alert and focused. You can focus better on your job when working remotely.
BENEFITS OF REMOTE WORK FOR EMPLOYERS:
Access to global talent
When your company expects its employees to work from the office, you have to hire locally. There is no other choice, not unless the client you hire is willing to move to your city. This limits your hiring scope and can affect the level of talent you are able to hire. With remote work, you get access to global talent. There are no geographical limitations. If you are willing to hire from different countries, you now have the freedom to do so. If not, you can hire from your own country without keeping it local. It provides the advantage to hire candidates for their talent, skills, and experience. The hiring pool you get access to increases by a lot, and you get the opportunity to hire the best professionals in the field.
Cost-effective
The remote employees work for your company remotely. It means that they do not require office space, office supplies, office electricity, the internet, etc. Your company can save a significant amount annually by not having to pay these overheads. Office premises alone can cost a lot. The more remote workers you hire, the more money your company saves. Additionally, remote workers charge lesser wages for their services. It isn’t because they offer poor-quality work, not at all. They are able to accept a lower salary because remote work helps them save money as well. Having to commute on a daily basis or spending money on lunch and drinks can take a lot out of their monthly salary. Many remote workers are happy to work on lower wages if it means they get to work remotely and enjoy its perks. So a company gets to save money on employee salaries and overheads.
Lower employee absenteeism
Sometimes, employees take leaves because of circumstances that are not in their hands. It could be bad weather conditions making it impossible to commute to work or catching the flu that doesn’t allow them to come to work without putting other people at risk of catching it. But these situations are irrelevant when it comes to remote work. Employees prefer not to take a day off from work unless they have to. So, if they are able to work, chances are they will work. Remote work significantly reduces absenteeism in the company.
Remote work can be the new normal in our world. Contrary to being damaging to work productivity, it is known to impact it positively. With proper strategies and policies, remote work can benefit both the employers and the employees.