In today's digital age, collaboration and working remotely are vital to driving innovation, increasing productivity, and reducing costs. In other words, remote work is the new normal.
Working from home or a co-working space is no longer a trend; it's an essential part of modern business life. The rise of telecommuting, portable computers, and internet access have enabled employees to work from anywhere with an internet connection.
According to a Stanford University study, the number of workers doing at least some work from home has increased by 40% in the last two decades. More businesses are adopting remote work practices making more remote working options available. In this blog post, we discuss some reasons why remote work is beneficial for your company:
Remote employees are more productive
Increased productivity might surprise some, but many remote workers are more productive than workers in office environments. With no commute or noisy co-workers to deal with, remote employees can focus on the task at hand without any distractions. Greater focus is especially true if your employees use a dedicated working space in your offices, such as a home office or co-working space.
When people work remotely, the office environment doesn't influence them, so they can more easily direct their attention to the task. Some research suggests people who work remotely have lower stress levels than those who work in an office environment. Lower stress levels could be because remote workers can separate their work life from their personal life to a much greater extent than those who work in office environments.
Working from home can save your company money
When you hire remote workers, you don't need to provide office space for them, which can save your company a significant amount of money. You can also avoid paying for offices' utilities and other overhead costs.
If you hire remote workers in places where the cost of living is lower than the cost of living in your area, you could save your company quite a bit of money on salaries. Even if your remote workers are in the exact geographic location of your company, they might be able to reduce their expenses by working from home. Reduced expenditures could include commuting, meal, and other work-related expenses.
If you allow your employees to work from home, you could see even more savings. Even though you might need to invest in equipment, such as computers or internet routers, these are one-time costs. The savings you see from these investments could be much higher than the costs.
Remote work is an excellent recruiting tool
With a remote work policy, you could see more applicants for your open positions. When you offer remote work options to your employees, you might see an increase in the number of people who want to work for you. Not being limited by location could increase your hiring pool, primarily if you live in a small town or rural area.
Remote work opens up a world of possibilities in which you don't have to worry about location being a factor when you offer work positions. You can also choose remote workers with skills relevant to the job you're trying to fill. Getting more applicants could be an asset to your company if you're trying to find suitable candidates.
Remote work opens access to a world of talent and increases hiring options by letting you nearshore employees. At Cápita Works, you can insource virtual assistants for a fraction of the cost in the US, allowing you to save up even more. Learn more about our process.
It's an excellent opportunity to understand what your employees want
A remote work policy can also help you understand what your employees want. Do they want more flexibility in their work hours? If so, you could consider a remote work option. Or, they might wish for reimbursement for the costs associated with having a home office.
Whatever their requests, you can use a remote work policy to understand what your employees want. It can be challenging for managers or executives to understand what their employees wish regarding their jobs.
Having a remote work policy in place allows you to understand what your employees want from their jobs. Understanding employees' needs can help you improve the work environment for your employees and make your company more attractive to prospective employees. You could even include a hybrid work policy, mixing remote and onsite work. You can read these articles if you'd like to know more about hybrid work models or fully remote companies.
Digitizing your operations
With the increased number of people working remotely and the increased use of digital tools, you'll need to digitize your operations to ensure everything runs smoothly. Having remote workers enables you to communicate with them through different platforms, such as video conferencing, instant messaging, email, and team collaboration tools. You can also host meetings and take part in video conferencing to make sure everyone has the information they need to do their job well. With the right tools, you'll be able to collaborate with your remote workers just as effectively as you would if they were in the office with you.
Also, when digitizing your operations, you get quick access to information instead of looking through files and saving up on storage space. You may find that most of a company's operations can be done and stored online. Check out this article for tips on digital transformation for your business.
Bottom Line
Remote work is the new normal, and it's beneficial to both employers and employees. It can help you increase productivity, save money and improve your recruiting efforts. It can also help you understand what employees want and need in their jobs and make your operations more efficient by digitizing everything from communication to meetings. Remote work policies can positively impact your company, so make sure you know what you're getting into before implementing one.
Remote work opens up a world of talent for a fraction of the cost. If you'd like to implement remote work in your company, check out our offer for nearshore virtual assistants that can aid you in various tasks and industries.
