What is remote work? 🧑💻
Remote working is the practice of employees performing their roles from a location other than a central office space owned by their employer.
Remote workers may operate from their own homes, a shared co-working space, a private office environment, or other public places that are not traditional corporate offices.
For flexible work arrangements to be successful, your remote work strategy needs to have:
- Technology: Reliable internet connection, devices for work, and software for its maintenance. If you're experiencing connectivity issues on a Mac, try MacPaw's troubleshooting tips.
- Effective collaboration and communication tools: Even though your team is distributed amongst locations, you still want an ergonomic workflow that allows remote workers to easily work together, including file sharing and project management platforms, chat and virtual meetings software, and more.
- Company culture: Companies benefit and autonomous employees thrive when they are a part of a positive work culture that centers on teamwork, empathy, and trust.
Remote work statistics that will make you think 🧐
The practice of remote working gained popularity due to the necessary shift from in-person to at-home office environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as many companies are returning to the in-person office, many companies and workers are seeing the benefits of remote work and choosing to embrace the remote, or at least hybrid, model full-time.
Here are some statistics from McKinsey & Company's American Opportunity Survey to illustrate the popularity of remote work within the employee experience:
- A remote work arrangement is one of the top three motivators behind employees seeking a new job
- 87% of people work remotely when given the option by their employer
- 58% of people in the United States have the option to work remotely at least part of the time
Remote jobs and workplace flexibility are in high demand for many, and for good reason. Remote workers and employers alike see many benefits to this new model of working, such as increased productivity and employee retention, good work-life balance, and increased job satisfaction. Let's dive deeper into these remote worker benefits below.
5 benefits of working from home for employers to consider:
1. Better work-life balance ⚖️
Oftentimes, remote jobs lend employees the option of working on a flexible schedule. This allows people to start and end their day when they choose, provided they've performed their duties as required and their work is complete. A flexible schedule has a major impact on an employee's personal life and mental health. This healthy and necessary relationship is called work-life balance.
Let's consider the lack of a daily commute to work for example:
The average commuting time (one way!) for an employee in the U.S. is nearly 28 minutes, or an hour round trip getting to and from their job. That time really adds up!
Without a daily trip to and from the office, employees have extra hours in the day to take care of their own needs, like spending time with loved ones or taking the kids to school, tending to their physical health with exercise, tackling household responsibilities, and more.
Why is this an important benefit of working remotely? When people feel that they can meet their personal needs outside of their job, it's much easier to minimize distractions and stay focused for more productive working hours.
2. Work with a larger talent pool 🌎
When hiring remote employees for a job, companies can better create diverse and inclusive workplaces through their hiring practices by offering roles to people from more geographic and cultural backgrounds than when hiring for an in-person role.
Hiring people who can work and live in the places that make them feel most connected and able to support their families is an important way companies can demonstrate support for diverse and inclusive teams.
Plus, remote work offers job opportunities to those who may have a harder time holding employment at an onsite job, such as caregivers who require a flexible schedule or those differently abled.
Why is this an important benefit of working remotely? There are major benefits to hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Forbes Insights reported that companies with diverse management teams see 19% higher revenues and are 1.7x more likely to be leaders in their industries.
Plus, a diverse workforce offers benefits such as a wider range of perspectives and information during problem-solving and innovation as well as a greater ability to engage with markets of all regional and cultural backgrounds.
3. Increased employee productivity 🕰
Although employee happiness and connection may seem easier to foster in a face-to-face environment, there are unwelcome distractions that come with in-person working that can be avoided with a remote job, such as unnecessary office politics, increased distractions, inefficient in-person meetings, and more.
The shifting focus on actual performance, rather than the number of hours spent in the office, is a much healthier way for businesses to assess productivity.
In fact, FlexJobs' 2020 survey discovered that most employees who thought they would be more productive working remotely did see increased productivity at home than when in the office due to fewer interruptions, increased focus time, and a more comfortable work setup.
Why is this an important benefit of working remotely? Productivity boosts company culture and employee morale! When a business is productive and successful, employees can expect to see more recognition and positive growth incentives such as pay increases, health benefits, bonuses, and more.
Plus, productivity improves better utilization of resources and cuts down on overhead costs.
4. Greater impact on sustainability ♻️
Remote work is extremely beneficial to climate and sustainability initiatives. One example is the way it's reduced the carbon footprint that comes from daily commutes to the office. When many companies shifted to remote work in 2020, the behavioral changes that came, as a result, slowed deforestation rates, decreased air pollution, and improved the quality of water worldwide.
When 3.9 million employees work remotely at least 50% of the time, the collective greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by the equivalent of removing 600,000 cars off the road for a full year.
Why is this an important benefit of working remotely? Climate change affects everyone, including your employees and customers. By taking steps to be more eco-conscious, your business can do more to appeal to the communities you serve. Studies show that companies that promote eco-consciousness have 55% better employee morale and 38% increased employee loyalty.
5. Everyone saves money 💵
Remote working saves money for employers and employees alike. When working from home, employees save gas money and spend less on car maintenance, professional wardrobes, lunches out, parking fees, and more!
The savings don't stop for employees either. Employers have seen significant long-term cost savings since shifting to flexible workspaces.
Global Workplace Analytics analyzed that a typical remote business can expect savings close to $11,000 a year for every person who works remotely for at least half of their work hours.
Why is this an important benefit of working remotely? It's no secret that on a global scale, the economy has seen major turbulence since the start of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In the wake of mass layoffs and economic uncertainty, it's always smart for businesses to save money where they can, in order to avoid paying high interest rates, cushion for times of economic downturn, as well as be ready for business growth when the time allows.
Embrace remote work with Confetti 🎊
Remote work is full of benefits, for both employers and teams. Flexible working models allow employees to experience a better work-life balance, lower costs, improve productivity, reduce environmental impact, and more. It's time to join the vast majority of businesses that are hiring employees for remote jobs and embrace the distributed workforce!
Wondering how you'll continue to foster connections with your distributed team? Confetti can help with that! Check out our Ultimate Guide to Virtual Team Building and contact [email protected] to get started!
