Thinking about offering your in-office employees remote working privileges? Or maybe you’ve had some in-office employees asking you about working remotely part-time during the week? If you haven’t come across these types of sentiments yet, get ready for them, because remote work is the way of the future.
Seriously, we’re not exaggerating. According to a recent poll done by IWG, 70% of professionals work remotely at least one day of the week, while a whopping 53% work remotely for at least half of the week. Those aren’t small numbers, and the fact that each of them has crossed the 50% threshold is quite telling. People want to work remotely, and this isn’t a trend that’s going to be here and gone.
If you’re an employer that’s somehow still on the fence about allowing your employees to work remotely, we’re here to tell you the four biggest reasons you should take the plunge. Trust us, you’ve got to adapt with the times.
1. Your Employees Will Be More Productive
We’re not just saying this — it’s an actual stat. A two-year Stanford study found that there was “an astounding productivity boost among the telecommuters” that was actually equivalent to a full day’s work. No, we’re not kidding. The study actually demonstrated that remote workers get double the amount of work done when working from home rather than the office. Now that’s something to seriously consider.
And it shouldn’t surprise you. Working from home can be much less distracting that being in a busy office with endless distractions around every corner (or cubicle). Furthermore, when your employees work from home they eliminate the commute, preventing the possibility of arriving late to the office or having to leave early for mid-day appointments. Instead, workers can makeup any lost time on their own time and in their own home. It’s genius, really.
2. Employers Save Money
Think about the overhead costs of running a company. You’ve got to pay for desks, computers, utilities — even the water cooler! When you hire remote workers, you’re cutting down on major costs, often including equipment. And even if you’re employees do still come into the office a few days a week, you’re still cutting down on the amount of resources (such as utilities and water!) that your business uses in a week’s time.
3. Your Employees Are Happier
It can be hard to measure happiness, but TinyPulse did it. The core finding of their studies showed that remote workers are happier because of their flexibility in choosing to work wherever they want and whenever they want.
When it came to explaining why remote workers choose to work remotely, the stats were just as interesting:
- 41% choose to work remotely because they enjoy the freedom of choosing when and where to work
- 28% choose to work remotely because it accommodates their families’ needs
- 22% choose to work remotely because it’s required for their job
- 8% choose to work remotely because they don’t like working in an office
- 2% choose to work remotely for other reasons
While the majority reason for working remotely clearly points to an appreciation for freedom and flexibility in the workplace, the runner-up reason (accommodating family needs) can also be a clear indicator that remote work promotes happiness in employees’ personal lives. Now that’s what we call a win-win.
4. Companies Have Less Turnover
Considering that remote employees are happier than in-office employees, it should come as no surprise that there is less turnover in companies that allow their employees to work remotely. And again, the stats are here to back it up. The State of Remote Work reported that companies that allow employees to work remotely experience a 25% lower employee turnover that companies that do no allow their employees to work remotely.
With that said, we see one more way in which remote work helps save employers money. Remembering that hiring and training new employees costs both time and money, why would anybody want to be losing employees on a regular basis? Long story short, more remote privileges, more money saved and work accomplished.
Originally published on Remote.com