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Remote work has taken over the modern workplace scene. It’s more than a nice-to-have workplace benefit. It has replaced traditional 9-5 offices to make way for flexible office spaces that offer complete flexibility and outstanding amenities to employees.
In this post, we’ll learn more about remote work and explore the remote working benefits for both employers and employees. We’ll also see how to build an amazing remote culture in your organization.
Remote work is a form of work arrangement in which an employee works outside of a traditional office setting. Instead of commuting to a physical office, remote employees work from the comfort of their homes.
Besides working from home, remote employees leverage coworking spaces, coffee shops, and other work-from-home alternatives that offer reliable internet connectivity to complete their work assignments. Remote work is further strengthened by the use of various tools and technology, such as instant messaging, video conferencing, emails, collaboration tools, and more to ensure seamless team communication and management.
Remote work empowers employees to work from anywhere in the world by providing them with the utmost flexibility and freedom to balance work and personal life.
That being said, let us understand the benefits remote working offers to employees and employers.
According to a survey conducted by FlexJobs, 65% of employees admitted that they wish to work remotely full-time while 32% of them wanted to work in a hybrid work setting. Overall, 97% of employees wished for some form of remote work flexibility. This is because of the advantages remote working offers. Let us now have a look at work-from-home benefits for employees.
Remote employees can work from any location that provides high-speed internet and an uninterrupted power supply. Whether it is their home, a cafe, or a coworking space, remote employees have the complete freedom to choose their workplace. It eliminates the need for commuting to work, thus saving time and money.
Remote employees have the flexibility to work on their terms. They can decide on a work schedule that suits their preference and complete their tasks. For example, some employees would prefer to start work early in the morning while a few of them might begin late after attending to their commitments.
Remote working allows employees to adjust their work schedule around their personal lives, thereby reducing stress and improving overall job satisfaction.
According to a study by Fortune, remote workers tend to be 29% more productive than office-based employees. As remote working helps employees create a work environment that suits their needs, there are fewer distractions and interruptions. This helps them to focus on the tasks at hand, thus boosting productivity.
Remote working offers employees more control of their lives by giving them the freedom to plan their work assignments and manage urgent home chores. They can spend more time with their families, pursue hobbies, or focus on their fitness. Achieving a better work-life balance leads employees to a happier and more fulfilling life. This plays a significant impact in lowering stress and improving the mental and physical well-being of employees.
Remote employees can save money on transportation, meals, work attire, celebrations, gifts for coworkers, childcare, and more. It allows employees to avoid the high costs of living in urban centers and choose affordable housing options. It lets employees save money on fuel, thus allowing them to increase their investments/savings for the future.
Remote working is popular not just among employees but employers as well. In this section, we’ll look at some advantages of remote work for employers.
One of the greatest remote working benefits for employers is that it provides a cost-effective model for employers to expand and grow their businesses. By allowing employees to work from home, companies can save money on buying/renting office space, utilities, equipment, maintenance, and other overhead costs.
In fact, 63% of growth-oriented companies have adopted hybrid work models which allow employees to work remotely or from the office depending on their work assignments. Many companies are investing in coworking spaces to set up their offices to support hybrid working and save on operational costs.
Remote working enhances company culture by promoting a sense of community, encouraging better communication, and boosting team collaboration. It helps build an inclusive workplace by hiring talented professionals from all over the world and enabling them to work from anywhere. It builds trust and loyalty for your company among the employees and creates a happy workplace.
Remote working ensures work-life balance. Hence, employees feel happier at the workplace and want to contribute more. They feel well both physically and mentally and thus, tend to avoid taking leaves.
Remote working eliminates the workplace as a source of spreading illnesses, thereby reducing employee absenteeism. It offers employees the flexibility to plan their workday well while managing their commitments.
Due to the flexibility and work-life balance remote working offers, remote employees feel more satisfied with their jobs and tend to stick with the organization for a longer duration. Thus, a remote work culture ensures higher employee retention rates compared to the traditional working style. This saves companies a lot of time and effort involved in attracting, hiring, and training new talent.
Higher retention rates speak volumes about a company’s culture, thus attracting the top talent in the industry.
Remote working provides employers with access to a global talent pool, thereby allowing them to find professionals with specialized skills and outstanding work experience. By allowing employees to work remotely, employers can hire the best talent regardless of their location, and no extra relocation costs. It also helps employers to diversify the workforce and bring in new perspectives and ideas.
Remote working contributes to improving a firm’s efforts toward sustainability by reducing carbon emissions associated with commuting and office operations. This reduces the company’s carbon footprint, thus positioning you as an environmentally friendly and sustainable organization.
Considering the benefits of remote work for employers and employees, the remote working model has become increasingly famous among companies today. However, adopting this working model brings significant changes in company culture. Hence, it is crucial to step up and build the remote work culture you want for your company.
Here are a few easy-to-implement tips to keep your remote workers engaged and happy.
Remote work offers numerous benefits to both employees and employers in building a flexible workspace. It increases team productivity, reduces operational costs, and builds an employee-centric work culture.
However, remote working may not be suitable for all job types and industries. Hence, it is wise to understand the remote working benefits and disadvantages when creating a plan to implement remote working in your organization.
