For anyone who dreams about answering emails in pajamas, skipping day-to-day traffic jams, or accomplishing data entry from a hammock while sipping on a pina colada overlooking the turquoise seas of an island paradise, working remotely sounds like heaven.
And it is! Remote work ushers in a lot of benefits for employees, and while you might have already heard of them before, there are still some advantages that might surprise you about how you can build a career without enduring the rough commute and heading to the office.
Even if you’re not working from home, especially now during the COVID-19 crisis, you have to acknowledge that the perks of remote work are awesome.
Take a look at these 7 ways on how remote work can change your company and your career, and find out how remote work tools and techniques can make all this possible.
1. Heightened focus on tasks
Potential distractions abound in the workplace. People knock on doors, co-workers invite you for a small chat, and customers pop by to check out what you’re offering.
For employees who can’t afford to succumb to multiple distractions in a day, working in a controlled landscape can be the key that unlocks their maximum productivity. Remote work can do that by allowing employees to reduce distractions and allot more time and energy on accomplishing projects. This is a complete win for enterprises, since these remote employees get work done much faster with minimal errors.
To make the most out of this huge advantage, enterprises can also look at a remote work tools list and use these solutions to build success for their virtual teams.
There are available platforms that enable organizations to make clear calls and chat with employees, regardless of their location. There are also solutions that make information dissemination easier and allows businesses to maintain a robust company culture. Truly, the possibilities are endless.
2. Captures premier talent
Offering remote work options and incorporating remote work tools and techniques significantly expand your company’s talent pool. As per data from LinkedIn, 72% of talent professionals concur that work flexibility, including remote work opportunities, is going to be integral in the future of human resources and onboarding.
Since you’re no longer confined to a geographical location, you can explore more options and hire specialized professionals from across the globe. You’re better to attract and secure top talent instead of settling for second best or for mediocre workers whom you only hire due to their close proximity and availability.
This advantage is especially useful for enterprises in more competitive industries who struggle to onboard prospects that fill particular roles. This also boosts company diversity and reels in various perspectives and ideas from employees that come from different cultural backgrounds and walks of life.
Meanwhile, to help combat the geographical distance in your remote workforce, you can enlist the help of the best remote work software available in the market.
Automation, artificial intelligence as well as a solid remote work tools list speeds up processes and aids in the completion of tasks virtually. Employees can be contacted faster. Operations and processes can be streamlined. Collaboration has become smoother and productivity has been enhanced with platforms geared for remote work.
In most industries, recruitment has suffered a tough blow from the global pandemic, yet your company can still rise up from the fall and make a consistent comeback in the impending months. Since people have begun to familiarize themselves with remote work and the benefits of remote work software, more and more candidates are setting their eyes on job applications that offer remote work over in-office positions.
All over the world, people are forced to develop creative and adaptable methods to remain afloat in this crisis and to be prepared for the long-term aftereffects of the global pandemic. As for enterprises, the new normal can bring you huge advantages, and good technology from comparing the best remote work software proves that daily operations can continue to be normal and fully functional, minus the face-to-face interaction and the physical workspace.
3. Increased productivity for particular personality types
When it comes to working from home, one size doesn’t fit all. Every team member is different. Some employees can’t fathom accomplishing tasks at the comforts of their house with the temptation of the TV or the presence of their family members. Meanwhile, some workers struggle with focusing in the office and find peace in an isolated environment that’s far away from workplace chatter.
For the latter, working remotely is a relief. Because these employees operate in their preferred work style and environment, they can perform their duties well.
A study conducted by psychologist and corporate consultant Dr. Bailey Bosch found that working virtually is gratifying for introverted personalities who are pressured by office aspects such as voicing their opinions during meetings or engaging in small talk with colleagues.
She also cited three characteristics that make for good remote workers. They must be conscientious about delivering output and meeting deadlines, they must be optimistic and open for change and lastly, they must have high communication and relationship skills.
Although there’s always a risk involved, companies can make sure they’ve got the right remote employees by comparing the best remote work software in the market and acquiring one of their own. These platforms ensure staff productivity by calculating team workload, computing client billable hours and tallying the time spent by remote workers on each task.
4. Team members can maintain strong relationships
Gone are the days when employees have to choose between work and maintaining their relationships with families and friends or staying in their hometown.
Rigid 9 to 5 office work leaves very little time for employees to spend time with their families or take part in non-work-related activities. Likewise, moving to a new city for a job demands a huge adjustment for your employee. Not to mention, they might have to also leave the people who matter in their lives behind just to get onboard your business.
The persistent friction employees feel between time allotted for family and time spent with work can affect their overall mental health and disposition. Working from home with a remote work tools list enables these options to exist alongside each other more harmoniously.
Shifting to remote work and harnessing the benefits of remote work software changes this environment and allows your staff to establish a healthy work-life balance. Professionals allot a huge chunk of time, energy and concentration towards regular work. By offering an option to work from home, businesses are giving team members a green light to devote more time to health, wellness and the cultivation of their personal and social lives.
Spending more time with their loved ones leads to less stress, and happier employees translate to increased productivity and motivation to work towards your company’s goals. Owl Labs confirms this in their survey where they found that remote work results in employees who feel more joyful and trusted; hence, their increased loyalty to the company.
Because much of the job isn’t restrained to a daily routine, team members are given a chance to breathe and construct a workplace where they can flourish and thrive.
Establishments and institutions that provide more control over when, how and where their workers do their jobs support the health and wellness of their team members while nourishing efficiency and promoting an improved company culture that does not view staff as cogs in a big functioning machine.
5. Trims expenses
Hiring remote workers or switching to a remote workforce reduces company costs. Because your staff is based at home, you don’t need to pour your resources towards renting or purchasing a workspace. It also eliminates the necessary expenses to run an office such as internet, computers, electricity, air conditioning or heating.
Instead of spending money on these things, you can allot your resources in acquiring the best remote work software solutions that enable your team members to collaborate with each other and allow you to virtually monitor the status of your projects and your employees’ working hours.
6. Eliminates the hassle of commute
The day-to-day slog to the office is equally taxing on the pocket and the soul. You spend money on fuel and if you have your own car, you have to pay for auto insurance. You also have to face traffic jams, which can be pretty stressful if you’re stuck on the road during rush hour.
While each scenario varies, skipping the regular commute saves employees money and steers them away from unnecessary stress and wasted time, which enables them to focus more on the tasks at hand and allot more time to your business projects.
7. Protecting the environment
As an added big bonus to all these benefits, employing a remote workforce and purchasing the best remote work software allows you to do your part in combating climate change and preserving the planet.
Organizations preparing for the future can’t exclude addressing climate change. Any sector that wishes to build a sustainable industry can’t afford to turn a blind eye to carbon footprint and the environmental impact of day-to-day actions.
Since your employees no longer need to come to the office, you help reduce greenhouse gas emissions which largely stem from the daily commute.
Recent figures from the United States Environmental Protection Agency states that in the US, the transportation sector accounts for the emission of more greenhouse gases than any other industry, including electricity generation and agriculture.
You also cut down perilous fuel consumption, since the majority of operating vehicles still rely on petrol and diesel.
Latest data from IEA examining the world during lockdown showed a drastic decrease in worldwide demand for energy by 3.8% relative to 2019’s first quarter. The research predicts that if the lockdown from the pandemic is sustained for months and recoveries remain gradual worldwide, yearly energy demand will fall to 6% this year, effectively erasing the previous five years of demand increase.
Should economies restart, energy demand decrease will be capped at below 4%; however, a second wave of COVID-19 cases in the latter part of the year combined with a rocky restart and a disruption to worldwide supply pipelines can hinder the demand even further.
Remote work also translates to reduced office waste, since most of the assignments are accomplished virtually. Your operations can go paperless, and you can cut costs when you cease purchase of office items such as cups, pens, tapes, pencils, staplers and other essential supplies.
Since you no longer need a physical workspace, you can even eliminate energy costs from heating or cooling systems. You no longer need to worry about high energy consumption that can stem from communications devices, elevators, coffee machines or printers.
Rather than allocating expenses on these items and utilities, your company can instead invest in the acquisition of the best remote work software out there in the market.
Lastly, your workers can also do their part by making more conscious choices at home. Because they also have a more flexible schedule, it’s easier for them to make more environmentally conscious decisions like composting, purchasing reusables and recycling, among others.
Raising remote work
Thinking of ditching that expensive office space? Get thousands of dollars back in your bank, which you can use to hire more workers or scale your business. Offering a work from home option for your team members? Expect an increase in employee satisfaction and activity as you watch your workers maintain a healthy and well-rounded lifestyle. Comparing best remote work software? Get ready to achieve success in establishing a virtual workplace.
COVID-19 has truly changed how employers run their ventures and how employees drive their career. A child constantly calling for their parent? A dog licking your co-worker’s face? Virtual happy hours where employees blow off some steam with a few drinks or an online dinner? It’s now the new normal.
So consider remote work and witness the gains, from each staff showing up happier and more involved to great financial savings for your enterprise to quality product development.
