7 Benefits of Remote Work
Remote work is often seen as a perk for employees, but it brings big advantages for employers too. Here are seven of them.
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iWallet | Blog Yazarı
August 26, 2020
5 min read
When most people weigh up the benefits of remote work, they assume it helps employees more than employers. Remote work certainly has countless advantages for employees, but having a workforce that can work remotely brings big benefits to you as an employer too.
There are many interesting benefits to having a remote, virtual workplace. Here are seven of them:
1. Your employees will be more productive
If you let an employee work from home, they will relax all day and miss deadlines. Even if they get some work done, they won't be focused because they'll probably have Netflix on in the background all day, right?
Wrong. Research has shown that people who work from home are more productive than their in-office colleagues. For example, a Harvard Business School study measured the productivity of employees at the US Patent Office who were allowed to live anywhere. Staff who could work from anywhere were 4.4% more productive than their in-office colleagues. A Stanford study found that people working from home were more productive by almost a full extra working day a week.
2. They won't have to commute
It's hard to find an employee who really enjoys their daily commute. A long commute, taking the metro, being squeezed onto a bus or riding a packed metrobus in a busy city is no fun. Whatever the reason or length of someone's commute, it contributes to absenteeism and lowers productivity. And if that isn't enough, employees with long commutes (more than 90 minutes each way) are more likely to leave their jobs. Letting employees work from home helps you retain them, which means spending less time and money on hiring and training new staff.
3. Better ability to handle the unexpected
Letting staff work from home means they can keep working even when they can't get to the office. Whether it's unexpected weather, sudden road closures or even a personal emergency, letting staff work from home helps them balance their work and personal lives, making them better and happier employees.
4. A more environmentally friendly company
Having a physical office doesn't make your company green. If you add up all the electricity used to run the office, the energy that powers office equipment and the money spent on supplies such as paper and ink cartridges, it is actually the opposite of environmentally friendly.
According to the EPA, commuting is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. A study by Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs found that around 3.9 million remote workers prevented 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gases from entering the environment.
Don't forget that running an office also contributes to pollution. Around 11.6% of greenhouse gas emissions come from office spaces. After all, when you work in an office the lights have to be on and the computers running all the time. All of this requires electricity, and most companies can't buy their energy from a green supplier.
5. It's much cheaper
Of course, you may want all your staff based centrally in one office, where you can see their work, collaborate and meet them face to face whenever you like. But this comes at a cost: office space, office supplies and equipment. Having a virtual team cuts all of these costs to zero!
Consider this: in 2015, Xerox, which had allowed remote work for 30 years, found that letting people work from home saved it around 10 million dollars a year. The Harvard study found that the Patent Office saved 38.2 million dollars in office costs.
If saving on rent and overheads isn't enough, add salary savings too. Another Global Workplace Analytics study found that 36% of employees would choose working from home over a pay rise, and 37% of tech professionals would take a 10% pay cut if they could work from home.
6. You can find the best people wherever they are
An often overlooked benefit of remote work is that you aren't tied to a location. In general, you can hire someone wherever they live, which means you can choose from the best talent in the world. And when you find that perfect match, allowing remote work means you don't have to pay relocation costs.
7. Loyal employees
FlexJobs' 2019 Super Survey found that 80% of employees would be more loyal if they had more flexible work options, including working from home. Employees appreciate it when you let them tailor their schedules to better balance their professional and personal lives. In return, that appreciation shows itself as loyalty to the company. As any employer knows, loyal staff means big cost savings, higher productivity and lower staff turnover.
There are many interesting benefits to having a remote, virtual workplace. Here are seven of them:
1. Your employees will be more productive
If you let an employee work from home, they will relax all day and miss deadlines. Even if they get some work done, they won't be focused because they'll probably have Netflix on in the background all day, right?
Wrong. Research has shown that people who work from home are more productive than their in-office colleagues. For example, a Harvard Business School study measured the productivity of employees at the US Patent Office who were allowed to live anywhere. Staff who could work from anywhere were 4.4% more productive than their in-office colleagues. A Stanford study found that people working from home were more productive by almost a full extra working day a week.
2. They won't have to commute
It's hard to find an employee who really enjoys their daily commute. A long commute, taking the metro, being squeezed onto a bus or riding a packed metrobus in a busy city is no fun. Whatever the reason or length of someone's commute, it contributes to absenteeism and lowers productivity. And if that isn't enough, employees with long commutes (more than 90 minutes each way) are more likely to leave their jobs. Letting employees work from home helps you retain them, which means spending less time and money on hiring and training new staff.
3. Better ability to handle the unexpected
Letting staff work from home means they can keep working even when they can't get to the office. Whether it's unexpected weather, sudden road closures or even a personal emergency, letting staff work from home helps them balance their work and personal lives, making them better and happier employees.
4. A more environmentally friendly company
Having a physical office doesn't make your company green. If you add up all the electricity used to run the office, the energy that powers office equipment and the money spent on supplies such as paper and ink cartridges, it is actually the opposite of environmentally friendly.
According to the EPA, commuting is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. A study by Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs found that around 3.9 million remote workers prevented 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gases from entering the environment.
Don't forget that running an office also contributes to pollution. Around 11.6% of greenhouse gas emissions come from office spaces. After all, when you work in an office the lights have to be on and the computers running all the time. All of this requires electricity, and most companies can't buy their energy from a green supplier.
5. It's much cheaper
Of course, you may want all your staff based centrally in one office, where you can see their work, collaborate and meet them face to face whenever you like. But this comes at a cost: office space, office supplies and equipment. Having a virtual team cuts all of these costs to zero!
Consider this: in 2015, Xerox, which had allowed remote work for 30 years, found that letting people work from home saved it around 10 million dollars a year. The Harvard study found that the Patent Office saved 38.2 million dollars in office costs.
If saving on rent and overheads isn't enough, add salary savings too. Another Global Workplace Analytics study found that 36% of employees would choose working from home over a pay rise, and 37% of tech professionals would take a 10% pay cut if they could work from home.
6. You can find the best people wherever they are
An often overlooked benefit of remote work is that you aren't tied to a location. In general, you can hire someone wherever they live, which means you can choose from the best talent in the world. And when you find that perfect match, allowing remote work means you don't have to pay relocation costs.
7. Loyal employees
FlexJobs' 2019 Super Survey found that 80% of employees would be more loyal if they had more flexible work options, including working from home. Employees appreciate it when you let them tailor their schedules to better balance their professional and personal lives. In return, that appreciation shows itself as loyalty to the company. As any employer knows, loyal staff means big cost savings, higher productivity and lower staff turnover.